Deer are not an uncommon sight in Tennessee, thanks to its natural settings. Unfortunately, deer can pose a serious risk to drivers and put their lives at risk on the roads. Collisions caused by deer don’t usually result in lawsuits, but if a driver is unsafe and traveling in a way that prevents him or her from stopping or avoiding a deer, he or she could cause a crash that someone else falls victim to.
Here’s an example. If you’re driving toward another driver who is clearly speeding in a 50 mph zone, you might not care, since you’re in the other lane. However, if the driver was going the appropriate speed, it would be easier to avoid hazards in the roadway. Instead, the driver didn’t have time to slow for a deer in the roadway and turned into your lane, cutting off your path. That results in a head-on collision, which puts you in the hospital. In that case, you could argue that it was negligence that led to the collision.
Statistically, November is the most dangerous month for deer-related crashes. Motorists need to slow down and stay alert in areas where deer may be traveling. Even on state highways, the risk of getting into a crash is relatively high, with 6.4 percent of deer-related crashes taking place there between 2012 and 2016.
The accidents keep increasing. Since 2011, they’ve increased 26.7 percent thanks to a growing deer population. Tennessee is considered to be a high-risk state for deer-auto collisions. Keep this in mind when you travel, so you can avoid falling victim to a collision.
Source: Greenville Sun, “November ‘Worst’ Month For Car-Deer Crashes,” Ken Little, Nov. 11, 2017
