This is the peak period for car accidents caused by deer and drivers in the UK are being warned to be more aware. So why are there so many such incidents at this time of year?
Deer could be responsible for as many as 74,000 car accidents in the UK each year, according to new statistics. Figures have been on the rise for the last 10 years and look likely to continue rising, say deer experts.
The number of deer in the UK has more than doubled in the past 10 years, according to the Deer Initiative, a group of charities and government agencies aimed at controlling deer numbers. It says the population is now in the region of two million, a number not seen since the Norman Conquest.
October until the end of November is the peak period for such accidents. So why is it such a danger period?
Shorter days is one reason. This results in more cars being on the roads at dawn and dusk, when deer activity is at its peak.
For the three larger species of deer in the UK - red, fallow and sika - it is also mating season, when stags start chasing females. This peaks in the next four weeks, a period which is known as "the rut" when males fight each other, making things even more dangerous.
"You basically have deer rushing around with sex on their minds and not thinking about much else," says Peter Watson, director of the Deer Initiative.
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