LANSING, Mich. — The busiest stretch of the year for deer on Michigan roads has arrived, and state traffic safety officials are urging drivers to slow down, scan the shoulders and resist the urge to swerve.
Michigan logged more than 58,000 crashes involving deer in 2025, and about 40% of them happened between October and December, when breeding season and hunting push deer across roads. State police year-end figures put the 2025 total at 58,271, nearly flat from 58,324 the year before. Thirteen people died in 13 deer-involved crashes last year, compared with 14 deaths in 2024.
Deer move most at dawn and dusk, so the riskiest windows are from 8 to 9 a.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m. The worst deer crashes often happen when a driver jerks the wheel and hits another vehicle or a tree, or rolls over, which is why officials repeat the phrase don’t veer for deer.
If a collision cannot be avoided, safety officials say to brake hard, stay in the lane and come to a controlled stop. Drivers should watch wooded edges, fence lines, fields and areas near water, where deer feed, and remember that deer often travel in a line, so one crossing usually means more are close behind.
Statewide, all traffic crashes rose slightly to 290,221 in 2025, while total traffic deaths fell to 1,065, according to state police year-end numbers.
Section: More Lansing MI crime news
Filed under: Lansing MI Traffic News
