More deer dashing across roads than normal. Here’s how you can stay safe

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — It’s mating season for deer, which means you’ll spot more of them than normal dashing across the road.

Because deer are losing more of their natural habitat to developments across Georgia, they’re increasingly crossing paths with us, which can be extremely dangerous.

“I hit one, it skidded along the side of of my car, then I hit one, it jumped from the side of the woods,” driver Denise Woodham told Channel 2′s Tom Regan.

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One Roswell driver said a deer crashed through the windshield, but luckily no one was hurt.

Deer are involved in 50,000 collisions in Georgia each year, most of which happen during the Fall mating season, which is when they are at their most reckless.

“Deer tend to move in groups. If you see one deer, assume there are others in the area,” Assistant Deer Biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Kevin Rose said.

State officials say drivers should be extra attentive near wooded areas at dusk and before dawn.

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They also say that if you see a deer, hit your brakes, but don’t swerve to avoid hitting it.

“Because hitting a deer, while bad, is not nearly as bad or catastrophic as if you served into traffic or served off the road and hit a tree,” Rose said.

There are an estimated 1.3 million deer in Georgia.

Nationwide, about 500 people are killed in crashes involving deer each year.

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