The Kansas Department of Transportation is emphasizing to be on the lookout for deer while driving.

While deer can be spotted near roadways any time of the year, KDOT warns that motorists should be especially vigilant in the fall for deer crossing roadways due to the “rut,” or mating season which is a time when deer are frequently on the move at all hours of the day.

Further precautions KDOT is saying you can use are using bright lights when there is no oncoming traffic and not swerving to avoid hitting a deer. Swerving is where the most serious crashes sometimes occur when motorists swerve and collide with another vehicle.

Eight people were killed and 556 people were injured in deer-vehicle crashes on Kansas roadways in 2019. Data from KDOT reports that there were 246 crashes reported to be caused by deer in Montgomery County. Those crashes resulted in five injuries and no deaths. Three of the eight deaths reported last year occurred in Wilson County.