IOWA – Enough drivers are apparently confusing signs warning drivers of deer crossings with signs for crosswalks that Iowa transportation officials were forced to offer some clarification Tuesday.
The yellow signs do appear similar – one with the silhouette of a deer and the other a pedestrian – but the DOT outlined the difference on Facebook:
Q. Why don’t you put these signs where it is safer for the deer to cross?
A. Deer can’t read signs. Drivers can. This sign isn’t intended to tell deer where to cross, it’s for drivers to be alert that deer have been in this area in the past.
“We actually get this question on a pretty regular basis,” the DOT wrote.
The timing of the post is meant to warn drivers as breeding season begins, according to KCRG. The station reports that there have been 3,344 vehicular accidents involving animals between Jan. 1 and Oct. 23, killing one person and injuring 156 others in the state.
