Deer Dominate As Top Road Hazard In Philly Region

PHILADELPHIA REGION — Deer, Deer Everywhere.

With Fall's arrival, deer activity has picked up in Bucks and Montgomery counties, giving drivers yet another road hazard to deal with now that nighttime comes earlier.

TMA Bucks, Bucks County's transportation agency, said drivers should be vigilant for deer crossing the roads, especially where deer crossing signs are posted.

Drivers are urged to slow down, increase their following distance, and be particularly cautious during dawn and dusk when deer are most active.

"Remember, deer often travel in groups, so if you see one, others are likely nearby," TMA Bucks said.

There have been an abundance of accidents around the region this year involving deer, some of them fatal.

A fatal crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in early October, which left an Ambler man dead, was caused by deer, authorities said. So was a September crash that left a Malvern Prep student dead.

Fall is breeding season for white-tailed deer, meaning they're on the move and more likely to cross roads and come into contact with vehicles. As it gets darker earlier, the local areas offer plenty of dimly lit, windy, sloping country roads that allow deer to live in the woods and fields on either side of the road.

Collisions typically rise throughout the fall, and peak in mid-November, authorities said.

Deer are often hit by vehicles for several reasons, and most of them are the fault of humans.

Deer have become so widespread in part due to an imbalance in the ecosystem. Along most of the eastern seaboard, natural predators are few and far between. Mountain lions and wolves no longer exist in the region, thus inflating the deer population.

In eastern Pennsylvania specifically, the deer population is roughly 10 times what the region's forests are built to handle, according to wildlife biologists and environmental experts.