‘Suicidal deer’ sign making Illinois drivers take notice

They’ve left no notes behind. And it’s fairly certain they’re not doing it for the insurance money. But “suicidal deer” are apparently such a big problem in Paxton, Ill. that its county is installing signs to warn drivers.

Calling the deer “suicidal,” of course, may be something of a misnomer. More likely, they just don’t know to be cautious around speeding vehicles with bright headlights. But whatever the reason, it’s certainly an issue in Paxton: 33 vehicle collisions with deer were reported in 2015.

Button Township Highway Commissioner Ron Hilligoss stumbled onto the idea of the eye-catching signs during a conversation with his nephew.

“My nephew sent me a picture of one of these signs out in Colorado about six months ago,” Hilligoss told The Record. “He texted it to me, and I thought it was really a good thing because it gets your attention. So we had had a Ford County Highway Department meeting and I said, ‘Can you get me these signs?’”

Source: Ford County Record