Overview

• The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet urged drivers to slow down, stay vigilant at dawn and dusk, use headlights, avoid swerving, wear seat belts, and report collisions.
• State Highway Engineer James Ballinger said more than 700 wildlife collisions were recorded last November, the highest monthly total last year.
• KYTC reported six deaths and 22 serious injuries from 2024 deer-vehicle crashes, with nearly half of such collisions occurring in the final three months of the year.
• Wildlife officials say fall rut activity and reduced cover from leaf drop and harvested crops push deer to travel farther and cross roads more frequently from late October through December.
• Hopkins County led Kentucky with 133 reported deer-vehicle crashes last year, and KYTC uses crash reports to target warning signs and other countermeasures; State Farm data show over 1.7 million U.S. animal-collision claims in the year ending June 30, 2025, with Kentucky drivers facing 1-in-105 odds.