The Tennessee Highway Patrol cautions motorists to watch out for deer on or near the roadways. An increase in deer related crashes is more likely during November to December because of deer mating and hunting season. In Tennessee from 2012 and 2016, 6.4 percent of deer related crashes occurred on state highways. In 2016, there were 7,219 deer related crashes including 330 that involved injuries and one that was fatal. That’s a 3.8 percent increase from 6,955 the previous year. Since 2011, deer related crashes in Tennessee have increased 26.7 percent. As of October 31, 2017, there have been 4,223 deer involved traffic crashes across the state. October through December is prime mating months for deer. This causes deer to be less aware causing motorists to pay extra attention to deer darting directly in front of traffic.