A heavier deer population in Lake Orion is contributing to the number of car-deer crashes in the area.
Statistics released on Sept. 30, 2008 by SEMCOG (South Eastern Michigan Council of Government) state Lake Orion is ranked number four for deer crashes among top ten cities in southeast Michigan.
Orion Township had 118 car-deer collisions. The remaining top 10 communities were Rochester Hills (219) Scio Township (133), Independence Township (121), Oxford Township (115), Brighton Township (110), Oakland Township (106), Washington Township (98), Genoa Township (95) and Shelby Township (94).
Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Orion Substation Commander, Lt. Bruce Naile said, ‘Be cautious and alert. Most of all, don’t speed, it takes longer to stop. Remember, if you see more than one deer, then there are two or three more.?
Naile said one third of Orion Township is state land, a refuge for the deer. He said the deer population along major arteries like Joslyn and M-24 is very high.
‘Deer are more active during dusk and night hours,? said Naile.
October is deer mating season in Michigan, which means the state’s 1.75 million whitetails will be more active, and more likely to be involved in car-deer crashes. Concerned about the rising deer population statewide, Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm has declared October as ‘Michigan Car-Deer Crash Safety Awareness Month.?
SEMCOG reports there were 6,280 vehicle-deer crashes in the seven-county region last year, down from 6,358 in 2006 but up from 6,097 in 2005. The data covers Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Livingston, St. Clair and Monroe Counties and the numbers come from crash data collected annually by the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center.
Oakland County had the most vehicle-deer crashes in the seven-county SEMCOG region (1,876; 5.0 percent) and ranked third in Michigan behind Kent and Jackson Counties. However, Livingston County experienced the highest percentage (21.4 percent) of deer-vehicle crashes (to all crashes) in 2007 in southeast Michigan.
Car-deer crashes are a long-term problem that SEMCOG attributes to business and residential development in once-rural areas and a statewide deer herd that’s about four times larger than it was in 1970 ? and about 10 times larger in southeast Michigan.
SEMCOG reports deer crashes are costly. In Michigan, they reported deer crashes cost at least $130 million per year; the average insurance claim is about $2,100 in damage, usually to the front end, often leaving the vehicle undriveable.
The MDCC (Michigan Deer Crash Coalition) is seeking to increase awareness of the problem. The coalition cautions drivers not to swerve out of a lane to avoid a deer. It’s generally safer to hit the deer than run off the road or risk injuring another motorist.While the greatest number of overall crashes occurred between 3 and 6 p.m., the greatest number of deer crashes occurred between 6 and 7 p.m. In general, the largest percentage of all crashes involving deer occurred between 6 and 10 p.m. (32.7 percent).
If a crash with a deer is unavoidable, the MDCC recommends drivers don’t swerve. They recommend braking firmly and holding onto the steering wheel with both hands to come to a controlled stop well off the roadway.
This year, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources estimates the deer herd to be 1.7 million and in 2007, there were 11 fatalities involving deer in the state, down from 12 in 2006