Press release: Be ‘deer aware' this spring

There tend to be more deer running across roads around March as food is scarce and they need to go further to look for it. This, combined with the explosion in the deer population in recent years, has lead to an increase in the number of deer and vehicle collisions.

Every year, across the UK, hundreds of traffic collisions take place which injure deer, cause damage to vehicles and can even endanger people's lives. There are a significant number of collisions with deer on the roads in East Sussex, particularly in the Ashdown Forest area where there have been more than 300 collisions with deer each year, for the past three years.

Drivers need to be aware of deer and take extra care during this time. When approaching a deer warning sign, drivers should:

• slow down
• be prepared to stop
• remember, more deer may follow the first one you see
• use your hazard warning lights if you do stop
• do not approach an injured deer – it could be dangerous. Call Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999.

Councillor Matthew Lock, Lead Member for Transport and Environment said, "Spring is one of the times of year when deer are more likely to be found on the road and so we are asking drivers to take extra care when approaching warning signs and be ‘deer aware'. The best way to ensure the safety of traffic and pedestrians, while keeping the suffering of injured animals to a minimum is to drive carefully and avoid such collisions happening."

For more information please visit our Deer road accidents page.

Further information

The times of most deer movement over the year are in spring, when food is scarce, and in autumn during the rut.

The number of deer casualties on East Sussex roads has trebled since 2002 to more than 300 a year.

To ensure the safety of drivers and walkers, and reduce the suffering of injured animals, East Sussex County Council has set up a deer warden scheme in partnership with Sussex Police and other organisations such as the Deer Initiative and the Conservators of Ashdown Forest.

Contact the press team