IDOT is warning drivers that they’re about the enter the worst time of year for car collisions with deer, and you might be surprised to learn the most crashes in the state occur in Cook County.
Will and Kane Counties have high totals, too, but Cook racked up 472 last year. Across Illinois, there were 16,000 crashes.
October, November and December comprise deer mating season, and IDOT spokesperson Maria Castaneda says that’s when most crashes happen.
Drivers should be especially alert for deer when they pass through forest preserves or other wooded areas.
“Unfortunately, if a deer is hit, what we ask is that you pull off to the side of the road, put on your hazard lights and call 9-1-1 to report the accident. Please do not exit the vehicle and check on the injured deer,” she said Wednesday.
"You should never approach any injured animal because you never know how they will react.
"And also we want to keep people in their cars because it's the safest place for them.”
Castaneda says last year, 600 people were injured when their vehicles hit deer. Four of those crashes involved human fatalities.