Suffolk second-highest in state for collisions with animals
Deer stopped in the middle of the road near Port Jefferson Country Club. Credit: Howard Simmons
Suffolk County, with plenty of open rural areas and a high number of registered vehicles, remains one of the most dangerous counties in the state for collisions with animals, according to a new report from AAA Northeast.
The analysis found there were 33,956 such collisions statewide in 2020, a nearly 7% decrease from 2019 — due, in part, to reduced driving from the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, that was the second-highest state total since 2010 when AAA began collecting the data.
The majority involved vehicles hitting deer, the nonprofit said.
Nearly 5% of all animal collisions statewide, or 1,538, caused injuries to the vehicle's occupants while six involved human fatalities, AAA said.
The 2020 data showed that Suffolk ranked second in such crashes statewide with 1,311 behind Orange County with 1,427.
"Suffolk is big and has a lot of open land, and a lot of vehicles," said Robert Sinclair Jr., spokesman for AAA Northeast. "It's the perfect combo for animal crashes."
Suffolk ranked third in animal collisions in 2019, fifth in 2018 and second in both 2017 and 2016. Nassau County has never ranked in the top 10, although exact figures were not available, Sinclair said.
Suffolk officials attributed the data to the county's high traffic volume, noting that a better comparison would be animal collisions per vehicle mile driven.
According to the University of Albany’s Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research, 43% of the crashes in 2020 between deer and vehicles occurred from October to December.
During the final months of the year, officials said, bucks become more active during daylight and are prone to moving to open areas, like roads. Crashes are most common from 6 to 8 p.m.
"During the fall months, motorists should drive with extra caution to help avoid collisions with deer and moose," said Mark Schroeder, commissioner of the state DMV and chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. "Be on the lookout for deer-crossing signs along roadways. They indicate deer have been seen at that location and have collided with cars there.
Sinclair said advanced driver assistance system technology, such as automatic emergency braking, can help prevent animal crashes, or lessen their severity.
Tips from the AAA to avoid vehicular animal crashes
- Drivers should never swerve to avoid an animal, especially on country roads. Going to the right could send a vehicle into a ditch, tree or pole while swerving to the left could result in a lethal head-on crash.
- Hitting the brakes too hard could create a nosedive, which could send the animal rolling up the hood and through the windshield.
- Drivers should scan the shoulders of the road looking for deer that may run out. Use traffic apps that can have warnings about animals by the roadside.
- Obey the speed limit. Lower speeds will allow the driver more time to react to an animal on the road.
Source AAA Northeast
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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