KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The City of Kalamazoo is reminding the public of the dangers of crashes between vehicles and deer ahead of the fall season.
According to city traffic engineers and sustainability planners, car-deer crashes have been an issue for quite some time.
A city report showed that 336 car-deer crashes have happened in Kalamazoo from January 2014 to August 2024.
Officials said the crashes are affected by numerous factors, including the size and health of the local deer herd and how much food is available when harvesting is happening.
However, they said the most significant factor in the crashes is speed.
Dennis Randolph, the public works manager and traffic engineer for Kalamazoo, said the majority of car-deer crashes that happened over the last decade happened along major streets where speeding is a concern.
“In areas where you would naturally assume that deer populate, such as Asylum Lake and other parks and natural areas, it would automatically indicate that deer would be out, especially at dusk and dawn, so drivers should be alert whether or not there is a city-posted deer sign," Randolph said.
A 2022 City of Kalamazoo Ad Hoc Committee report that addressed the urban deer population ranked Kalamazoo County eighth out of all Michigan counties for the number of vehicle-deer crashes.
Car-deer crashes are most frequent from October through December.
During this time, roadways have the last green forage of the season, corn fields are being harvested and deer mating season is happening.
In addition to this, the daily commute happens around dawn and dusk, when deer are most active.
If a dead deer or other animal is found on streets or in the public right-of-way, contact the City of Kalamazoo to have it removed by calling 311 or (269) 337-8000. You can also email 311@kalamazoocity.org.
