As wintery weather hit the UK last week it brought an unexpected hazard for motorists as the number of collisions with deer increased by a whopping 1400%.

During the week 5^th to 11^th February, a total of 15 incidents involving collisions with deer were reported to Just Car Clinics dedicated call centre in just one week, compared to just one the previous week. Surprisingly, rather than country roads it is motorists closer to major cities such as Sheffield and Nottingham who are being advised to be particularly vigilant after they proved to be the most likely place to collide with wandering deer.

According to the Deer Initiative the number of deer in the UK has more than doubled in the past 10 years and now numbers in the region of two million, a number not seen since the Norman Conquest.

Dr Jochen Langbein, from the UK Deer Vehicle Collisions Project, said: “The inclement weather with snow on the ground will mean wild deer need to forage more widely to find browse and grazing not covered by snow, which will increase road crossings as they seek grass verges cleared of snow and salt from road grit. 

“Many drivers manage to miss one deer only to collide with a second. Deer are rarely on their own and people should be prepare for several more being around if they spot one."

Last week saw the record number of total claims since Just Car Clinic, the second largest independent chain of collision repair centres in the UK, established a dedicated centre in 2010 giving motorists the benefit of processing claims outside of normal office hours. From 5^th to 11^th February a total of 470 claims were received at the centre, with 127 claims on Monday 6^th making it the busiest day yet for new claims.

Barry Whittles, Just Car Clinic Group Chief Executive, said: “Motorists are thankfully aware of the obvious dangers of driving in wintery conditions, however these statistics regarding collisions with wandering deer act as a timely reminder to reduce speeds and ensure tyres and brakes are regularly checked to help avoid the unexpected.”