Delaware Agencies Release Deer Mating-Season Driving Data: 8,401 Deer-Related Crashes Recorded From 2021 Through 2025
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the state Office of Highway Safety (OHS) and the Delaware State Police (DSP) jointly released white-tailed deer mating-season driving data on October 13, according to the State of Delaware news site. The deer rut generally runs from mid-to-late October through late November and into December, and after clocks turn back on November 1, more of the morning and evening commute falls in darkness.
OHS figures show Delaware recorded 8,401 deer-related crashes from 2021 through 2025, resulting in 312 injuries, 20 of them serious. Deer-related crashes are most common in October, November and December, accounting for 47 percent of the five-year total, and peak between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. and again between 5 p.m. and midnight. State Police investigated 2,067 animal-related collisions in 2025, of which deer accounted for 1,977, or about 96 percent, with 906 occurring during the mating season.
DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife biologist Sam Millman said bucks expand their ranges starting in early October and repeatedly cross roadways while chasing does, with higher risk along roads lined by woodlands and forests. Delaware Online previously reported AAA figures putting the average animal-strike insurance claim in the area at nearly $7,500 in 2025, up about 20 percent from five years earlier.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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