13 November 2025
Speaking of darting into traffic, as I did yesterday regarding squirrels, November and December are the peak months in Pennsylvania for deer-vehicle collisions. Deer are in the rut (breeding) and not paying attention to anything except the opposite sex. In addition they prefer to move at dawn and dusk, and that’s when we’re driving because sunset is so early (5:04pm today).
The Post-Gazette pointed out on 9 November:
Pennsylvania, consistently among the worst for collisions between wildlife and vehicles, has seen crashes due to deer rising over the past five years, with 6,426 such collisions in 2024, per data from PennDOT.
And, beware, this week could add mightily to 2025’s tally.
“The peak of the rut in Pennsylvania is between the 12th and the 18th of November. It’s the worst time to be driving,” said Don Wagner, the deer unit manager at Penn State University in State College.
— Post Gazette: Vehicular collisions with deer continue to rise in Pa. This week could be the worst
Sometimes you don’t even have to be in the car for a deer to crash into it.
video short embedded from DailyDoseofTheInternet on YouTube
See eight tips for avoiding a collision with deer in this 3 minute video.
The biggest tip is DON’T SWERVE. It will only make the crash worse!
Thanks! Very useful information.
A few years ago I slammed on the brakes because a couple deer came down a hillside and one ran right in front of me while the second deer stopped right next to my fender. Stopped, I waited for him to move either crossing in front of me or going back up the hillside. Instead he thought it a good idea to jump up on my hood! His hooves got no traction there so he fell against my windshield and then scurried off across the street. Thankfully the only damage was hoof marks on my hood and some fur left on my wiper blade.
So yes, it does seem that deer are attracted to cars.
Thank you! The video provided extremely helpful advice. I see deer almost every day here in Forest Hills, sometimes even at my birdfeeder!