HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The staff at Bruce’s Super Body Shops said they have been repairing cars hit by deer since earlier this fall and are preparing to repair more.
According to AAA, the frequency of vehicle crashes with deer is at an all-time high for the year — as deer habits change in accordance with the fall breeding season.
Kyle Willis, general manager at Bruce’s Super Body Shops, told 8News his staff is especially busy this time of year.
“We always have a few here, a few there generally for the first 45 to 50 days of the fall,” Willis said.
Willis said that he and his staff are usually working on anywhere from 10 to 15 cars involved in deer-related collisions.
In 2021, most vehicle collisions with deer happened from October through December — with the most being in November, according to the Department of Motor Vehicle
“If something darts out in front of you when you’re driving down the road, do not swerve off the road to try to miss it,” Willis said. “The biggest help you can do is just hold onto the wheel and hit the animal direct instead of swerving off and doing twice as much damage and hitting another object as well.”
Richmond Police Department told 8News that only eight deer-vehicle collisions have been reported in the city’s jurisdiction this year so far.
