Two deer were struck in separate incidents on two West Lincoln roads this morning.
One collision between a motorist and a deer occurred at around 7 – 7:30 a.m. this morning on Vaughn Rd. in West Lincoln. The second occurred around the same time on Niagara Regional Road 27. The motorists were not injured in either incident.
“Sometimes the deer will walk away but the majority of the time they either die upon impact or our officers arrive and have to euthanize them because they are suffering,” said District Commander Shaun Parrent, who leads 8 District of the Niagara Regional Police Service. 8 District officers are based in Grimsby and are responsible for policing West Niagara communities, including Grimsby, Lincoln and West Lincoln.
Parrent added: “These types of collisions happen more often in the Fall however they have been known to occur at various points in the year as well.”
An officer at one incident posted the damage to one car on Twitter (shown above). The following post to Twitter was also shared:
“@8Nrps would like to remind motorists that with the Fall season comes an increase in the amount of deer near our roadways. This morning @8Nrps Officers responded to 2 collisions involving deer in the @TWPWestLincoln #bealert #slowdown.”
According to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forest, deer are particularly active in the fall, especially at dawn and dusk, as they search for mates and food. “Deer often travel in groups of two or more, so when motorists see one animal there may be more nearby,” said MNRF spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski.
Deer in the West Lincoln area are white-tailed deer.
“We advise drivers to be cautious during the Fall since animals seen at the side of the road or in the roadside ditch can suddenly run onto the road, so slow down enough to avoid a possible collision,” said Kowalski.
Kowalski offered this additional safety tip: Drivers who see animals along the road should also sound their horns in a series of short bursts. At night, motorists should blink their headlights to warn the animals and give them a chance to move out of the way.
Motorists should also take extra care where:
- Roads cross creeks or rivers
- There are wooded corridors
- Field edges run at a right angle to the road
- Fences meet roads
- Wildlife crossing signs are posted.