Open deer season to all to reduce collisions
I would like to address the subject of driving hazards on the roadways. We always hear about the dangers of cell phone-texting use and drunk driving, which are in the drivers’ control, but we rarely hear about the deer hazard, which the drivers cannot control.
Recently I was returning from Charlotte and had a deer body slam the driver’s side of my SUV and barely missed coming through the side door window. Across the country, hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent yearly on repair bills, medical care and funeral expenses because of these dangerous animals. Yes, I have known of people being killed by these incidents.
It's time the lawmakers and the state Department of Natural Resources take this seriously. Here is my recommendation: open deer season from the middle of September until the middle of March with no limit on buck or doe, daily or seasonally. This will help reduce the number of these dangerous animals along the roadways.
It is time that the safety of the traveling public be a priority over the protection of these over-populated animals. If we do this in South Carolina, maybe it will encourage other states to follow.
Sloan Smith, Surfside Beach
This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 8:56 AM with the headline "Open deer season to all to reduce collisions."