Motorists Warned as Deer Mating Season is Underway in New Jersey

As I was driving down the parkway on Thursday evening headed home from Townsquare's offices in New York City, I saw a bad accident on the Garden State Parkway near the Forked River rest area. It appeared as if a car had just struck a deer in the left lane. Emergency crews were just arriving on the scene of the accident, but it did appear as if everyone was OK. This, however, served as a great reminder: New Jersey is entering deer breeding season. 

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife is urging motorists to be careful on New Jersey's highways.

“At this time of year, deer can suddenly run onto any type of roadway, from busy highways to country roads,” Division of Fish and Wildlife Director David Chanda said in a statement on Friday. “A moment of inattentiveness behind the wheel at the wrong time can lead to serious consequences.”

The peak mating season runs through December, so you'll want to be extra careful if you're driving on New Jersey's roadways during the coming months. NJDEP officials remind us that deer are most active in the very early morning hours and around sunset.

Exercising caution will become even more important when daylight saving time ends Nov. 1, causing commutes to align with periods when deer are most active," the NJDEP wrote in Friday's press release.

Anyone who has driven on roadways in the northeast at the time of year is probably already aware of this, but new drivers should be reminded. So this probably a good reminder to parents to alert their teenage drivers to be extra cautious when driving this fall.