Drivers urged to beware of deer on roads as young begin to 'spread out'

Drivers are being urged to beware of deer on the roads.

The young deer are known to spread out and look for their own territories during this time of year, with dusk the period of highest risk.

NatureScot has launched a spring road safety campaign with Transport Scotland and Traffic Scotland to warn of the dangers.

The central belt area, which has the highest risk of collision, will see electronic messaging used to remind drivers of the increased danger.

Alerts will be put in place until June 13.

Dominic Sargent, NatureScot deer policy officer, said: “According to the data, there are almost 2,000 recorded collisions between vehicles and deer across Scotland each year, and many more will go unreported.

Warning over deer on the road Rhiannon Law/NatureScot

“In urban and suburban areas, roe deer live close to people and transport routes, and high-risk areas for incidents include road junctions and major interchanges, some of which have areas of woodland and scrub nearby where roe deer can shelter, feed, and even have their young.

“This campaign will remind drivers in these areas to be alert and slow down to help reduce the likelihood of collisions.

“We’re also continuing to explore what more can be done to mitigate the risk, including through local deer management plans.”

Angus Corby, Transport Scotland landscape and biodiversity manager, added: “Reducing the risk of deer-vehicle-collisions across Scotland’s Trunk Road Network is a real challenge, and Transport Scotland is pleased to continue our important partnership with NatureScot to tackle the issue.

“We are working closely together to establish and maintain a picture of the high-risk areas across the country, so we can focus our mitigation efforts and make them as effective as possible, both for road-user safety as well as the welfare of the deer.”