Beware, those deer are mating again

Oh, deer.

It's that time again -- when the hooved ones are on the move looking for l'amour, and don't seem to think twice about crossing a road to find it.

Last Sunday in Geneva alone two deer were hit by cars, one on East Fabyan Parkway and one on Batavia Avenue, both late at night. One deer was killed; the fate of the other is unknown, as he or she ran off.

In both cases, the vehicles had to be towed away.

What doesn't help is that deer are most active at dawn and dusk, which is when all of us commuters are out driving.

It also doesn't help that they can weigh 300 or more pounds.

Thunk!

A 2006 State Farm insurance company report found that its policyholders suffered an average $2,800 in property damage when they hit a deer. Illinois ranked third for states with most collisions, behind Pennsylvania and Michigan, among those policyholders.

So here's some tips to keep both you and Bambi safe:

• Be aware of posted deer crossing signs. These signs are placed in known active deer crossing areas.

• At night, use high-beam headlamps to illuminate the sides of the road, where deer may linger.

• Remember if you see one deer, chances are he or she has a buddy not far behind.

State Farm suggests that if a collision seems inevitable, try not to swerve. Swerving can put you into the path of oncoming vehicles or may cause you to lose control of your vehicle, and end up being more injured than if you hit the deer.

Back to work

• Over at the First Street redevelopment in St. Charles, they will build a stone pad today on First Street to accommodate the crane that is hoisting panels for the parking deck being built.

Officials expect to move the crane onto the pad Tuesday, and put the last panels in place next week.

First Street will remain open for two-way traffic, with flaggers to direct you around construction equipment.

• Kane County reports that the Kirk Road-Route 38 intersection improvement is 96 percent complete. They are working on the new traffic signals.

• They're still working on pouring gutters and roadway over at Kirk Road and Route 56/Butterfield Road. The county anticipates shutting that project down for the winter around Dec. 15.

• At the Randall Road at Route 64 project in St. Charles, crews will plant seed and install erosion control blankets for landscaping around the Union Pacific Railroad crossing and the bike path along the west side north of Dean Street.