Oxford Township finally made a top 10 list, but not one of those good ones.
With a total of 115 deer-vehicle crashes (not including two in the village) in 2007, the township ranked fifth on the list in terms of the highest number of such accidents in southeast Michigan, according to information released Monday by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG).
‘It doesn’t surprise me that there’s that many deer-car collisions up here,? said Oakland County Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Perry, Oxford substation commander. ‘We’re still a pretty rural area with a lot of open fields and quite a bit of farming going on.?
Rochester Hills was Number One with 219 deer-vehicle crashes. Oxford’s neighbors, Independence and Orion townships, ranked third and fourth on the list with 121 and 118 crashes, respectively.
All of the top 10 communities will receive from SEMCOG a special informational display customized for their community on the dangers of deer crashes along with take-home materials for residents.
According to Perry, the most common locations in Oxford for deer-vehicle crashes are Oakwood Rd. (between M-24 and Baldwin Rd.), Baldwin Rd. (between Seymour Lake and Oakwood roads), Coats Rd. and M-24 toward the county line.
‘Those are real high traffic areas for deer,? he said.
Motorists are more likely to collide with a deer during the fall.
‘It’s just that time of the year when they’re out and moving and getting ready to go into the rut,? Perry said.
Even police vehicles aren’t immune from such crashes. ‘I have one in the shop right now,? Perry said.
Last week, a sheriff’s SUV on patrol hit a deer along Oakwood Rd. between Ludwig and Coats Roads.
Perry said the best thing drivers can do is ‘pay attention? and ‘stay focused on the road.? Motorists should do their best to ‘minimize? distractions such as cell phones, coffee cups and applying makeup.
‘You have to mentally prepare yourself that at any time you could have a deer run right out in front of you,? Perry said. ‘Keep two hands on the wheel and try to keep yourself focused on the task at hand and that’s driving a vehicle.?
The lieutenant also advised drivers to watch their speed and use their peripheral vision to scan the shoulder of the road because deer will often come running out of high weeds in a ditch or bolting from an open field or cornfield.
‘I remember years ago I had one run right into the side of my own personal vehicle (while driving in Tuscola County),? Perry recalled. ‘There was nothing you could do. It came right up out of a ditch off a big cornfield and ran right into the passenger side door.?
Surprisingly, Oxford’s more rural neighbor to the east, Addison Township, didn’t make the top 10 as it only had 71 deer-vehicle crashes last year, not including four in the Village of Leonard.
Brandon Township, Oxford’s neighbor to the west, experienced 70 deer crashes.
Of the 6,280 deer crashes in southeast Michigan, a total of 1,876 happened in Oakland County, making it one of the top five counties with the most of this type of accident.
Statewide there were 61,907 reported deer crashes last year with 11 motorists killed.
As a result of Oxford’s 115 crashes, three people were injured in two separate accidents. There were no fatalies.
In Addison, two deer crashes resulted in two personal injuries, but no fatalities.