The high season for car crashes with deer is October through December. Each year, they account for more than 150 human and nearly 1.5 million deer fatalities. Experts attribute the problem to the combination of deer mating and migration habits and shortened daylight hours.

"More drivers are on the road at dawn and dusk, the very time of day when deer are most active," said Ray Palermo, director for a national car insurer. "A car striking a 200-pound adult deer can not only result in the death of the deer, but also incur an average of $2,000 in damage to the vehicle.

Palermo suggested some basic cautions for drivers.

-- Scan a wide swath of the roadside. Slow down when approaching a deer standing near the side of a road and be prepared. If startled, the deer can bolt onto the road and into the vehicle's path. If necessary, honk the horn and flash the lights to try to scare the deer away.

-- Be alert for more deer that may not be visible at the moment. Where there is one deer, there often are more nearby.

-- In many instances, it is best not to swerve around the deer since it may move in the same direction. "You may also inadvertently hit another vehicle or go off into a dangerous shoulder," said Palermo. Unless certain of the road factors, it is often best to simply brake and continue in your lane of traffic, he said.

-- Be particularly careful at dawn and dusk and when driving over a hill or around a curve, where visibility is limited. Use high beams to give a greater area of visibility and to allow one to see the deer's eyes sooner.

-- Deer whistles or ultrasonic deer avoidance systems attached to vehicles have never been proven to work by independent studies and may give drivers a false sense of security.

-- Take deer crossing signs seriously, particularly those installed specifically for this time of year. Be particularly cautious in wooded and agricultural areas where there is little distance between the road and the woods.