Beautiful — and dangerous: Tips on staying safe from deer/vehicle crashes

It’s that time of year again. Election season — check. Goblins and ghosts and spooky stories — check. But also deserving a check is the number of motor vehicles striking deer, and vice versa.

According to the Shelter Island Police Department, there have been 24 DVC (deer/vehicle crashes) so far on Island roads this year. Last year, for all of 2025, there were 36, and we could expect that number to round out to this year as well.

Another significant statistic is that DVCs account for 27% of all motor vehicle accidents, according to Beau Payne, a member of the Police Department who provides advice to the Deer & Tick Committee, 

“While that percentage did inch a bit higher last year — 34% — the five-year average is also 27%, suggesting that the numbers are relatively stable both recently and long-term,” Mr. Payne said.

It’s worse across the bay. According AAA Northeast, between 2021 and 2024, Southold recorded 790 DVCs, the most of any municipality in the state.

We asked Mr. Payne some questions about deer, the Island, and the Autumn.

Reporter: Why is fall the season that has the highest number of these crashes?

Beau Payne: White-tail deer only mate once a year, in the fall. Mating — rutting — behavior typically begins in the later parts of October, usually peaks by mid-November, and may last into the later parts of December. Most males are on the move nearly this entire time searching for a receptive female, establishing dominance against other males and ardently pursuing and defending any potential mate. All this movement and hormone-driven activity dramatically increases the chances that the pursuer and the pursued end up crossing a road with little else on their minds. Based on Island DVC data, drivers here are twice as likely to hit a deer from October through December than they are the rest of the year.

Reporter: What can drivers do to prevent or lower the risk of hitting a deer, or a deer hitting them. Time of day, speed, routes traveled? 

Beau Payne: Slow down, especially around dawn and dusk since deer are crepuscular [twilight at dusk and dawn] by nature. DVCs tend to occur more on two-lane roads with dense vegetation at or near the roadsides. And most roads on the Island fit this description.

Speed limit, traffic density, and localized deer population also influence probability. The more traffic on a given road and the more deer in a given area, the higher the likelihood of a crash in that area. Not surprisingly, our busiest roads have the highest number of DVCs.

Reporter: What to do when a crash occurs?

Beau Payne: Slow down and try not to swerve. The instinct to swerve may be hard to fight, but better to hit the deer than a utility pole or other obstacles or oncoming traffic. If you do hit a deer, try to get the car to the shoulder, provided it’s safe to do so. If you can, stay in the car until help arrives. It’s probably fairly dark and other drivers may not see you popping in and out around the car looking for damage or examining the deer. In my experience, seeing the deer or the damage right away rarely makes the driver feel any better.

Reporter: Who do you call?

Beau Payne: Call the police. You’ve just had a motor vehicle accident. This will also activate any necessary rescue services if needed. An officer will make a report and guide you through the next steps.

Reporter: If the animal is alive, what do you do?

Beau Payne: Again, stay in the vehicle and call the police. Deer are wild animals that may behave unpredictably, particularly if injured or frightened. There’s little to nothing an average driver is equipped to do with a car-struck animal. When an officer arrives, he or she will decide if the animal must be dispatched and make the appropriate arrangements for its removal.