What to do when a deer approaches

According to the Insurance Information Institute, there are 1.6 million collisions between deer and vehicles each year, resulting in 200 fatalities, tens of thousands of injuries, and more than $3.6 billion in vehicle damage. While deer-vehicle collisions can happen any time of year, October to December is the peak period. Most collisions occur between dusk and dawn. State Farm's annual claims study found Pennsylvania ranks fourth in the likelihood (a one in 54 chance) of a driver hitting a deer in a year.

Deer-vehicle collisions spike when daylight saving time ends, as it did last weekend. The change to standard time in the fall results in a 16 percent increase in such collisions. Year-round daylight saving time would keep tens of thousands of deer and dozens of people alive; researchers estimate that eliminating the time change could save nearly 37,000 deer and 33 human lives each year. Still, Congress has not acted to eliminate the semi-annual changing of the clocks.

Consumer Reports offers advice on how to avoid colliding with a deer and the following tips that will help keep drivers safe and help prevent costly repairs:

Slow down. Watch for deer, especially around dawn and between the hours of 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. when they're most active.

Be aware. Watch for deer-crossing signs and wooded areas where deer are likely to travel. If you take the same route to and from work every day, you may find deer consistently grazing in the same fields. Make a mental note of when and where you regularly see the deer.

Be alert. If you see a deer on the side of the road, slow down. At night when traffic permits, put on your high beams for improved visibility. Assume the deer has friends. "Where there's one, there are usually more" often holds true. Deer travel in groups, so if you see one run across the road, expect others to follow.

Brake, don't swerve. Swerving to avoid a deer puts you at risk for hitting another vehicle or losing control of your vehicle. It can also confuse the animal about which way to go, so slow down as quickly and safely as you can. Your odds of surviving a collision are better when hitting a deer than hitting another vehicle. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that about 20 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths result from vehicles leaving the road and striking a solid object, such as a tree or telephone pole, so braking in a straight line is safer than a sudden swerve.

Buckle up. A seat belt is the best defense for minimizing your risk of injury in a collision. An IIHS study found that most of the people killed in deer-vehicle collisions were not wearing their seat belts.

Do not rely on deer whistles. These are aftermarket devices that some drivers put on their front bumpers to scare off animals. But animal behavior remains unpredictable, even if you use one of these. State Farm advises, "No scientific evidence supports that car-mounted deer whistles work."

If you do hit a deer, move your vehicle safely off the road and call the police or animal control. Take a picture of the scene and notify your insurance agent or company.