Why danger of NJ’s rut season goes beyond the obvious

October, November, and early December are particularly scary times to drive on New Jersey's roadways. It's when deer around the state enter their annual rut season.

The rut is when deer mate before entering the cold winter months. And every year New Jersey drivers have to go on high alert to avoid an accident.

Although striking deer with your vehicle can occur at any point throughout the year, the fall season is particularly dangerous because deer become hyperactive.

That also means their primary focus is on one thing and one thing only... To mate. That also increases the odds of deer running across busy roadways as a result.

During the rut, it's a one-track mind for them which makes it more dangerous for all of us. Doesn't matter if cars are zipping by right next to them, they will run right out into the road to pursue another deer to mate with.

That's the obvious danger we know all too well. During the rut, deer are much more likely to charge right in front of our cars with little to no warning.

But it's the less obvious things about New Jersey's rut season we also have to keep in mind. Remember, deer aren't thinking quite logically during the fall season and will do things they otherwise might not.

And the first one has to do with just that. During the fall season, deer might jump over things they normally would give a second thought to.

Something of this nature recently occurred on N.J. Route 21, when a deer jumped over an overpass and through the windshield of a car below.

Deer have also been known to jump into cars from the sides, even without the car moving on the road. And that danger significantly increases during the rut.

Again, deer for the most part are primarily focused on mating during the fall season in New Jersey, which makes incidences like this even more dangerous. It is, however, rare for them to accidentally jump into a motionless vehicle or over the side of an overpass.

But with all of that comes another danger. And it's one that occurs after a hit has occurred.

With the volume of cars that travel on New Jersey highways, the likelihood of hitting a deer carcass also increases during fall.

This is especially dangerous at night when streetlights aren't present or lit. If a carcass is on the road from an earlier collision, there's a chance you might end up driving over it.

I can talk from personal experience on that one. I was approaching an off-ramp for Route 206 from I-295 early one morning in November.

The streetlights weren't working and it was a bit drizzly outside. As I was slowing down and going around the curve, a deer carcass was right in the middle of the lane.

By the time I saw it, it was too late to avoid the carcass. I had to go right over the center of it, which caused some minor damage underneath the car, but nothing major.

Had my car been any lower to the ground, however, the damage would've been much worse. And, if I had tried to swerve away, I would've driven over it with my tires and possibly lost control of the vehicle.

I was fortunate but did what you're supposed to do when a deer suddenly appears in front of you - just hit it straight on and don't slam on the brakes.

That might sound like bad advice, but it could actually be much safer to do that instead of swerving. In my case, I could've driven the tires over the carcass forcing my car to lose control or possibly tip over.

By not slamming down on the brakes, your car is more likely to knock the deer in such a way that it minimizes the chances of it rolling up the hood. Remember, cars dip down when braking quickly so the angle of the car, combined with the vehicle suddenly slowing, increases the chances of that deer coming up to your windshield.

You also want to avoid swerving as you could lose control and hit something on the side of the road like a median or utility pole.

Although driving over a dead deer with my car only occurred once, I did actually hit a deer running across the road once before. And it happened while on my way to an event for the radio station.

I was driving the station's promo van when the collision occurred. Luckily, I was not in a small car when this happened as the end result would've certainly been much different.

(plus a link regarding that deer jumping through a car windshield on a NJ highway is also below).

Although a scary moment, both my incidents weren't nearly as frightening as this poor driver's experience.

Click here to see more regarding that deer that jumped off an overpass and into a car on Route 21. A very terrifying, but rare incident. Just goes to show the true danger deer pose to New Jersey drivers.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.