Buckle Up for Bucks: Kansas, Missouri Drivers on Alert for Deer

November 5, 2021

Officials in Kansas and Missouri are urging drivers to be especially cautious this time of year as collisions with deer become more frequent.

The Kansas City Star reports that cooler weather and shorter daylight hours mean it’s breeding season for deer. Kansas City, Missouri, police said on Twitter that “lusty deer” are on the move “and won’t let your car get in the way of their quest for loving.”

AAA’s Nick Chabarria said deer-related crashes rise sharply in the mid-autumn. In 2020, the Missouri State Highway Patrol cited 3,639 crashes involving deer, killing five people and injuring 348.

In Kansas, 9,670 deer crashes killed four people and injured 471 others last year, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation. Average Kansas insurance claims from deer collisions amounted to nearly $5,500.

Nationwide, more than 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions occur each year, resulting in 150 fatalities and tens of thousands of injuries, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported.

Topics Personal Auto Kansas Missouri

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