TOPEKA — November is the top month for vehicle-deer crashes, and statistically, you’re more likely to hit a deer today than at any time of the year. Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Edna Buttler said your best defense is to wear your seat belt. Drivers should be especially cautious at dawn and dusk or driving along areas favored by deer, including areas of trees and water, she said. And if there’s one deer, there will probably be more, she said. If you see a deer along the road, you should warn other drivers by using your hazard lights, she said. And if a deer jumps in front of your vehicle, it’s better to hit the deer head-on than try to swerve around the deer, she said. In trying to avoid a deer, motorists often over-correct and lose control of their vehicles, ending up in the ditch and rolling over – ending up in crashes that are far more dangerous than if they had hit a deer, Buttler said. And if you hit a deer and you can move your vehicle, state law requires you to move it off the roadway, she said. And a reminder — another new state law requires that whenever you use your wipers you must turn on your headlights, she said.
Monday, Nov. 15, 9:30 a.m.
