Alpharetta warns drivers about increasing danger of deer on the road

It’s deer mating season, which also means it’s react-quickly-when-a-deer-darts-in-front-of-your-car season.

Alpharetta went to Facebook on Thursday to warn people about the expected uptick in deer on the roads.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said in a 2014 deer management report that there were about 1 million deer in the state.

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Mating season runs from October to early December. Male deer go into rut, meaning they are wanting to reproduce and fight and rub on trees.

That’s why deer are traveling more, and putting themselves on roads.

The DNR says deer are most active at dawn and dusk, which increases the risk of a collision because those are common human commuting times.

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Here are the tips Alpharetta that gave:

🦌 Turn on headlights at dawn and dusk and keep their eyes on the road. Also scan the sides of the road.

🦌Switch to high beams when there is no oncoming traffic to better reflect deer's eyes on or near the road.

🦌Always wear seat belts.

🦌Avoid distractions from cell phones, the radio, eating or passengers.

🦌Watch for “deer crossing” signs that mark commonly-traveled areas, and be aware that deer typically cross between areas of cover, such as woods or where roads divide farm fields from woods.

🦌If a deer crosses the road, slow down immediately and proceed with caution. Deer usually travel in groups, so if there is one deer, there are likely others.

🦌Slow down and blow the horn with one long blast to frighten deer away. Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles, deer fences or reflectors to deter deer, as these devices have not been proven to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.

🦌Do not swerve to miss a deer — brake and stay in the lane. Losing control of the car, crossing into another lane, hitting an oncoming vehicle or leaving the road and hitting another object like a tree or pole will likely be much more serious than hitting a deer.

Be careful out there.