Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Issues Antler Alert; KSP Warns Drivers of Dangers in the Upcoming Months

On Tuesday, The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officially announced an ‘Antler Alert’ to remind Bluegrass motorists of the increased danger of having a deer involved accident during this season.

Last year, the Bluegrass state saw a little over 2,000 car wrecks involving deer. That’s a number much lower than normal, but with deer mating season upon us, and more cars on the road, that number is likely to increase.

“For the 21 years I’ve been working, it is almost a sure bet you will see the biggest amount of deer wrecks starting now until the first of December or so,” said trooper Corey King of the Kentucky State Police.

The nation saw more than 1.5 million deer involved accidents last year, and trooper King says that type of accident is most likely to occur during two parts of the day.

“Especially during the dawn and dusk hours,” said King. “That’s when you’ll typically see them move.”

Kentucky ranks above the national average in deer accidents, ranking 18th among the states. Bluegrass drivers have a 1 in 88 chance of running into a deer, and that’s even more likely to happen in our western Kentucky tri-state.

“The top ten are right here involving deer wrecks,” said King. “You’ve got Henderson, Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Christian, and Hardin County. A lot of your western counties are where we see a majority of wrecks involving deer.”

And if you do see a deer, trooper King’s advice is simple.

“Do not swerve. Do not swerve. Slow your vehicle down, apply steady pressure to the brakes, but if you have to strike the animal, then that’s what you have to do. We have seen it more often than not. People who swerve will end up hitting a fixed object like a pole, a tree, or another car.”