Car/Deer Accident Article
Kansas
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Saw this on-line this morning, a report about the car/deer accident study done by the LEOs on the 2019 accidents in my county. Sure wish they had done these back in the day when I was researching them for Legislature and KDWP&T Commission testimony.
Back then, the data was usually 2-3 yrs behind the current year, only tracked statewide by the state agency highway folks (insurance lobby reports never matched state numbers, always showed much higher in frequency).
The report states that 60 C/D accidents happened in 2019 in Lyon Co, over half of them on major roadways. No surprise there, higher speed limits, higher volume of traffic, etc. What I did find interesting was the number of accidents reported off the major roadways, in more rural areas on gravel roads.
You left of, but are aware of, distracted drivers
It seems like every year I see less and less deer hit, could be Kansas is very efficient at picking them up or there just isn’t as many around
It seems like every year I see less and less deer hit, could be Kansas is very efficient at picking them up or there just isn’t as many around
One of those orange indicators, to the left and just above the Hwy335 logo in the center of the page along the turnpike, is my c/d accident. $9k in damage to my truck. If you haven't hit one yet, don't crow too loudly about your acute driving skills, deer awareness, 40 -50yrs of driving without hitting one, because you will get to sample crow one day when the stars align and the meteor hits your grill.
I was wide awake, driving the speed limit, was not in a hurry nor rushed. I was watching for deer, I always do no matter what time of year it is. The first time I saw the large doe I hit was just before my left front headlight area hit her in the head, there was no time to react. She was running at top speed, came running out into the highway from behind a wood thicket along the roadway. Her front feet hit the centerline of the highway, that was the first time any of her body touched the road. I caught sight of the side of her face just before we connected, she was at a full sprint and was airborne when she came up out of the West ditch. Her head and neck took out my grill and left front head light, the rest of her body hitting the LF fender. Her body rolled down the drivers side of the truck leaving dents, blood and poop stains before swinging around violently smacking my tailgate and piling up in the middle of the road. I was one that had questioned how alert people actually were that hit deer.
Hoyt, there are still a lot of c/d accidents, always will be as long as deer exist. The state and most county road departments typically just move the carcasses further off the roadway, don't haul them off completely.
Not sure what is going on in Wilson Co. this year, there have been zero accident reports in the local paper. I guess folks quit hitting them, or the local paper has decided to stop listing the accidents.
Morning Marvin, how have the numbers been at the processing place? Deer numbers are down in my area (while I sit and watch 8 deer browsing a bean field in front of me). I drove to Topeka and back during the prime rut period, when the number of accidents typically peaks around the 17th, I did not see a single carcass nor blood stain on the road where one had been hit. To only see 7 on my drive across the state and back was telling.
Maybe less accidents because of people not traveling as much due to the covid, maybe? Traffic down about 30% on 99 highway.
There were several dead deer along 75 when I drove it last night, including in Wilson County.
My wife vaporized a small doe several years ago. Going the speed limit and paying attention. It was a mess. 5k in damage.
Could be part of it Dale. I am just back from Emporia, didn't appear people were staying home there. The weekend we traveled across the state to BFE and back, there was as much or maybe even more traffic than usual. There must have been a seatbelt or speed enforcement effort going on that weekend, saw more patrol cars out than I have seen in all the 32 yrs I have had to make that trip combined.
Second cycling of the does in that area Kyler?
Not sure Randy. That would be a good guess. I drove it from Caney to Beto Junction. Had to stop for a young buck running across the road near Yates Center.
Randy, I think it's going to get crazy. During the earlier archery season, we processed twice as many as last year. By noon Wednesday, we had in 20 and then it started raining. May have been more after I left at dark. we will start cutting this morning. ONLY ELEVEN MORE DAYS!
I smacked a buck on the way to my stand a couple weeks ago in the morning. First deer I have hit in 45 years of driving. I was fully alert and going about 53mph in a 65. It was 4:30am and no traffic. Just came out of a deep ditch, hedge row on each side. $6000 damage. I saw a lot of road kills during the middle of November.
Day Two; rain must have put them down, only got in 15 today. Most of these are out of state hunters. Probably get several locals over the weekend, then maybe it will taper off. ONLY TEN MORE DAYS!