(KFVS) - Colonel Ron Replogle, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, is reminding drivers to watch for deer, which are more active this time of year.
The highway patrol says drivers should be especially careful during evening and early dawn hours. They say deer behavior changes because of mating season, which may cause an increase in road crossings. Hunting and crop harvesting can also cause the animals to be in places they aren't usually seen. Drivers are urged to be alert.
According to the highway patrol, last year, drivers in Missouri experienced 3,420 car crashes where deer-car crashes occurred. One deer strike happened every 2.6 hours in the state. In these crashes, two people were killed and 352 injured.
The patrol says when you see a deer, slow down and proceed with caution.
