Deer danger warning

The Diary has had reports of a deer on the road last night, between Silliot Hill and the Link Business Park.

Motorists should be aware that this is the deer mating season, and the likelihood of coming across one unexpectedly is high.  

In the Kilcullen district, deer are plentiful from the M9 motorway all the way across to Brannockstown, especially in the Carnalway area.

The Irish Deer Society has this advice for motorists:

Deer often travel in groups. If you see one, there are probably more in the vicinity. Not only that, deer are unpredictable. They often dart right into traffic.

Drivers and their passengers should always wear seat belts. Motorcycle riders should always wear helmets. More than half of the people killed in deer-related collisions were not wearing seat belts or helmets.

Use high beams to illuminate animals’ eyes at night if there is no oncoming traffic.

Be especially vigilant from sunset to midnight and shortly before or after sunrise or sunset. These are the high-risk times for accidents with deer.

Brake firmly if you see a deer, but stay in your lane. Accidents often happen when drivers swerve into the path of an oncoming vehicle to miss a deer or lose control of their car after seeing or hitting one.

If you hit a deer, do not touch it. It could hurt you.

Call the Gardai if the deer carcass is blocking the road and is an immediate danger to other road users.

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