Police warn beware of deer on the roads following five accidents

There’s been an increase in collisions involving deer on North Yorkshire’s roads.

Thankfully, the deer in this picture , spotted by one of the camera vans on the A165 at Reighton, was unharmed.

However police have attended at least five incidents in the last three weeks involving deer that had been hit by vehicles and were suffering greatly with non-survivable injuries.

The collisions occurred in Selby, Scarborough, Ryedale, Hambleton and Harrogate.

Officers say there are THREE important points to remember:

Look out for deer warning road signs

Stay alert, check your speed and be prepared to stop

Take particular care when it’s dark including the hours from sunset to midnight, and the shortly before and after sunrise

If you hit a deer while driving, your priorities, in this order, are:

Keep yourself and anyone with you as safe as you can

Park your car in the safest place with hazard lights on

Call an ambulance if human injuries warrant it

If you see an injured deer on the roadside, pull over at the next safe place, and call 101 – or 999 if the situation means lives could be at risk.

North Yorkshire Police say they will deal with road safety issues and officers will be able to determine the best course of action for the animal if it is still alive.

Don’t approach live deer – they may hurt you, or run across traffic causing another collision.