The state departments of Environmental Protection and Transportation are reminding motorists to drive with extra vigilance as white-tailed deer mating season gets underway and darkness arrives earlier.

Deer are more likely to run out onto roads during this time of year – known as the fall rut – as bucks pursue does, risking the possibility of collision with a vehicle. Increased deer activity is more likely to occur in the early morning and around sunset, when visibility may be more limited.