ASHLAND —
Drew Phillips says he and his father, Mike, who co-own Phillips Body Shop in Ashland, often joke the fall months provide them with their Christmas bonuses.
That’s because those are the months in which the majority of car-deer collisions occur.
“The majority of our deer claims come in the fall, the end of October and into November,” Phillips said. “We do about 250 (deer collision repair jobs) a year. It’s about 20 percent of our business.”
Phillips said it’s not that he and his father relish people getting their cars smashed up in run-ins with deer. Yet “we depend on the revenue” those accidents generate,” he said.
According to the Kentucky State Police, nearly 47 percent of all accidents in the United States involving deer and vehicles happen in October, November and December because of the run of mating season, with November being the month with by far the highest number of incidents.
Deer also are responsible for more human deaths in the United States than any other animal, roughly 150 per year, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Also, car-deer accidents cause an estimated $3.6 billion in vehicle damage a year, according to the institute. An additional $1 billion is spent on medical payments for injuries to people in the car and out-of-pocket expenses paid by vehicle owners, bringing the total cost to approximately $4.6 billion.
While car-deer collisions most commonly result in front-end damage to vehicles, Phillips said this year, he’s seen an increased number of cars involved in incidents where deer have charged at them, damaging their doors and windows.
He said the average cost of repairing a vehicle damaged by a deer hit was about $1,500. He also said it takes the shop roughly three or four days to turn around such a job.
“It’s routine at this point,” he said.
Deer-auto collisions follow a pattern over a 24-hour period, the KSP said. The highest likelihood for a collision with deer is during the peak hours in the evening between 5 and 8 and in the morning between 5 and 8. Fifty-three percent of all collisions have happened in those time frames for the past five years.
The KSP also offered the following other defensive driving tips:
‰Be especially alert and drive with caution when you are moving through a known deer crossing zone.
‰Use your high-beam headlights whenever possible.
‰Upon spotting a deer, immediately slow down. Do not swerve because that can confuse deer as to where to run. It could also cause you to lose control and hit a tree or another car.
‰Look for other deer after one has crossed the road. Deer are often found in herding packs.
‰Always wear your seatbelt. Most people injured and/or killed in deer-automobile collisions were not wearing them.
If you are unable to avoid a collision with a deer, take the following steps:
‰Do not touch the animal. The deer, in attempting to move or get away, could hurt you or itself.
‰Remove your automobile from the roadway, if possible.
‰Call the police.
KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.
Local News
Oh, deer! It's peak season for costly accidents
Majestic animals responsible for about 150 fatalities a year, insurance group says
- Local News
-
-
Crowd deals with sizzling weather in paying respects
Although the weather called for scorching heat, many showed up to pay their respects at the Memorial Day celebration in Wurtland on Sunday.
-
A salute to fallen veterans
For 25 years, Mike Wurts has made certain an American flag is at the final resting place of every military veteran at Golden Oaks and Rose Hill, providing a proper salute to welcome friends, families and others who come to pay their respects during the Memorial Day weekend.
-
Geocachers: Treasure is in the hunt
It’s a treasure hunt without any real treasure.
Geocachers will tell you that in their hobby, the hunt itself is the treasure. -
Burglaries reported to police
The following information was taken from Ashland Police Department reports:
-
Ohio man killed In Lewis County
A motorcyclist from Ohio was killed after crashing on Ky. 59 near Scotts Branch Road on Saturday.
-
TIM PRESTON: Karats, peaches, wings and brews, old couches and new beauty
Weekly business column from Tim Preston.
-
Come on in!
It’s time to grab a towel, some sunscreen and your shades — pools in the Tri-State are nearing their opening dates and are bound to provide some days of fun this summer.
-
Pooches take to the street in Dog Jog
They were running with the big dogs Saturday in Grayson.
-
A Smith Branch Legacy
Six generations of Robinsons have called Smith Branch home.
-
Court battle heating up over stretch of blacktop
The court fight is just heating up over a block-long stretch of blacktop in Grayson.
More parties are piling on in the lawsuit accusing Grayson of passing an illegal ordinance to take ownership of the pavement. - More Local News Headlines
-
Crowd deals with sizzling weather in paying respects
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
