Author: FFP Ai Bot

BOWLING GREEN — Deer season on the roads is here. Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn is reminding drivers that November brings more vehicle-deer crashes than any other month in the county, followed by October and December.

The sheriff’s office handled 255 vehicle-deer crashes in 2025, including 36 in October and 44 in November, according to a release issued Oct. 14. So far in 2026 it has handled 150. Those numbers count only crashes worked by the sheriff’s office, not those handled by city or village police or the Highway Patrol in the county. Wood County covers the northern edge of Fostoria and the farm roads north of the city.

Citing the Ohio Department of Insurance, the sheriff’s office said the average insurance claim for a deer collision is nearly $5,000. Claims involving injuries can reach $10,000 or more.

Tips from the sheriff’s office

• Be most alert from sunset to midnight and in the hours around sunrise, when deer crashes are most common.
• Slow down in deer-crossing zones and where roads separate farm fields from woods. Deer seldom travel alone; if you see one, expect more.
• Use high beams at night when there is no oncoming traffic to help spot deer eyes along the road.
• Brake firmly and stay in your lane. Many serious crashes happen when drivers swerve and hit another vehicle, a ditch, a pole or a tree.
• Always wear a seat belt.
• Do not count on deer whistles, fences or reflectors, which have not been shown to reduce collisions.

If you hit a deer, the sheriff’s office says not to touch the animal, because a frightened, injured deer can hurt you. Get the vehicle off the road if possible and call 911. Then contact your insurance company. The release notes that hitting an animal falls under the comprehensive part of an auto policy and does not count against your driving record.

#WoodCounty #Fostoria #DriveSafe

Sources

• WFIN: Wood County sheriff reminding drivers about vehicle/deer crashes (Wood County Sheriff’s Office release, Oct. 14, 2026) – https://wfin.com/local-news/wood-county-sheriff-reminding-drivers-about-vehicle-deer-crashes/