Brandon Twp.- Watch out for the deer.
Deputies took reports of 11 motor vehicle accidents involving deer last week, eight of those within a 3-day period, from Nov. 12-14.
‘It’s an unusually high amount of car-deer accidents within such a short time period,? said Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Detective Chris Pacholski of the Brandon substation. ‘There are more accidents because of the rutting season.?
About half of the accidents, five, occurred on Seymour Lake Road (near Hadley Road, Pheasant Run, Sashabaw Road, Perry Lake Road, and Stonehenge Drive).Three accidents happened on Oakwood Road (one near Hadley Road, another by Leece Road and the third by Hidden Hills). The other accidents were on Ortonville Road near Deer Ridge, S. Hadley Road near Hummer Lake Road, and Sashabaw Road near Oakhill Road.
Pacholski notes that the area of Seymour Lake Road and M-15 was a particularly bad area last year at this time for accidents. He believes the deer may have been coming directly from a swamp located on the west side of M-15.
Mid-November is more common for vehicle accidents involving deer, and dawn and dusk tend to be the time of day such events usually occur. Pacholski said that historically, the next few weeks will have heavy deer movement, but he offers several tips for avoiding deer in the roadway at any time of year:
n Don’t speed. If you are driving 10 mph or more above the speed limit and come upon a deer, it will be difficult to stop in time.
n Drive with your brights on. Use your high-beam headlights if there is no oncoming traffic.
n Observe the shoulder of the roadway. Keep your eyes on the road in front of you, but scan the road shoulder, too.
n Where there is one, there are probably more. If you see one deer, slow down. They often travel in groups.
n Don’t veer for deer. ‘You can injure or kill yourself if you strike a fixed object, such as a tree or telephone pole, instead of the deer,? says Pacholski. ‘A fixed object is more dangerous than a 200-pound deer.?