MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22. 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
3A
While driving home for holidays, watch for deer
By AMANDA O'TOLE
aootole@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
By the time she saw it, it was too late. Its glowing eyes looked back at Angela Kurowski as she slammed on her brakes and swerved across the two lanes of Highway 59 in Ottawa about three weeks ago.
She hit the large buck despite her efforts to slow down. It ran away, but the Swansea, Ill., senior doubted that it got far because of the blood left at the scene.
Kuroowski was sore, and her 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee was in bad shape. She's not sure how much it will cost to repair, but three weeks later, her car is still in the shop, with the mangled front end being fixed.
Kurowski is one of thousands in Kansas that will be involved in deer-vehicle accidents this year. Last year, more than 9,000 motorists hit deer in Kansas, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
November is the peak month for car-deer collisions, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation. There have been more than six deer-related accidents on Kansas Highway 10 in the past month.
With the likelihood of deer on the roads this week, holiday travelers should be cautious to prevent being in accidents.
Deer are in the midst of mating season, which causes the increased amount of sightings near roadways, said David Church, Kansas Department of Transportation bureau chief of
traffic engineering.
The female deer cross roads without thinking about it, he said, because the bucks are chasing them.
Deer also travel together, so a deer on the road could mean one or more will follow.
Motorists should slow down as quickly as possible if they see a deer in the road ahead, Church said.
If it's too late to slow down, a driver should hit the deer and avoid swerving, he said.
Accidents are worse when a car veers off the road and hits a pole, tree or oncoming traffic and when deer go over the vehicle.
Drivers should lightly accelerate to elevate the front end of the vehicle. Hitting the brakes would lower the front end, and if
DEER SAFETY TIPS
David Church of the Kansas Department of Transportation offers these suggestions for avoiding wrecks with deers:
■ Be aware of your surroundings especially around dawn and dusk.
■ Slow down as quickly as possible if you see a deer.
■ If it's too late, slightly
the car struck the deer it would have a greater chance of going over the car.
Kurowski said she was glad she was driving her Jeep. The size of the vehicle gave her an advantage in the accident.
accelerate to lift the front end of your vehicle.
Be cautious if you see one, others will probably follow.
Do not swerve.
Take note of deer crossing signs and slow down while you are driving through those areas.
"I'm lucky I didn't get hurt," she said. "There's no wav I
Source: Kansas Department of Transportation
Transportation
could've done anything differ
ently. I couldn't avoid it."
Most fatalities in car-deer collissions happen when the deer goes over the car and through the windshield.
Church said it was important that people slow down and know their surroundings, espe-
cically around dusk and dawn when deer are most active.
Kuroski's accident happened at about 5:30 p.m.
Deer crossing signs are a good indicator that deer could be around. Church said a sign indicated that at least three cardeer collisions happened within a quarter mile of that sign within a year from when it was posted.
Kurowski said people needed to pay more attention to deer crossing signs. She didn't notice them much before her accident, but she said she was more aware now.
"A lot of people don't realize the damage it can do," she said. "I didn't realize it could happen until I was in the accident."
Edited by Ryan Greene
Acquiring an acquaintance
Chris Miller/KANSAN
Kristen Guillot, Shawnee junior, takes the hand of his highest bidder, KYa Hill-Beard, Kansas City, Mo., junior. Saturday night at the Black Student Union date auction in the Kansas Union ballroom. Guitoll went for $51.04 at the auction.
Beware of dangerous toys
Unsafe-toy list out just in time for holiday season
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — A reminder from the government:
Check those holiday shopping lists to make sure no recalled children's toys are on them.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission compiled its annual top 10 list of children's product safety recalls to coincide with the start of the holiday shopping season.
The toys should all be off store shelves. The commission worries that people who did their shopping early might have gifts stashed under the bed that have since been recalled.
All the products were recalled in the past year, the commission said. A Nerf football and a Batmobile toy car were among some of the items on the list
being released today.
The agency received reports of 11 toy-related deaths in 2003 involving children under age 15, down from 13 reported deaths in 2002. Almost half the deaths involved small toy balls that children choked on.
The agency also is launching Neighborhood Safety Network, a Web-based grass-roots effort to help spread the word about safety recalls to consumers who may be harder to reach.
CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton said the network would put life saving information into the hands of people who need i most.
"These messages are posted and passed on in Boys and Girls Clubs, American Indian reservations, fire houses and housing projects," he said.
The list of top recalled children's toys and products includes:
398,000 Bumble Bee toys distributed by Graco Children's Products. Graco received 26
reports of antennae breaking off the toys, including five reports of children who started to choke on the broken piece.
294,000 Nerf Big Play Footballs distributed by Hasbro. The football contains a hard plastic interior frame that can pose a risk of facial cuts. Nine incidents of facial injuries have been reported, including eight that required stitches or medical attention.
■ 225,000 Carter's children's mirror books distributed by Kids II Inc. The mirror in the books can crack or break, posing a laceration hazard to children. Kids II has received 26 reports of the mirror cracking or breaking, including four reports of cuts.
314,000 Batman Batmobile toy vehicles distributed by Mattel Inc. The rear tail wings of the Batmobile are made of rigid plastic and come to a point, which poses a potential puncture or laceration hazard. Mattel has received 14 reports of injuries.
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