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Jennings celebrates104th birthday
NOV 29, 2011
Sarah Jennings has lived to see four states added to make the current 50 in the United States. She was born 11 years after the South Carolina-Clemson football rivalry began and has lived through 18 presidents in office. She has survived 634,488 of her countrymen who have died during wars and conflicts.
Jennings, celebrated her 104th birthday with a party this afternoon at Oakleaf Village Assisted Living in Greer with her daughter, Ann Maxwell from Charleston. Her other daughter, Sally, living in Atlanta, could not make the celebration. But Christine Greggs, her 52-year former employee and friend did. Jennings has 5 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
Today is deadline for gift-filled shoeboxes
NOV 21, 2011
Children invited to make holiday-themed crafts at Needmore
NOV 18, 2011
Merle State Hunger Walk doubles as fundraiser, education
NOV 18, 2011
75 pounds of medicine collected in ?Drug Take Back Program?
NOV 8, 2011
Motorists need to watch for deer on state roads
NOV 2, 2011
Motorists throughout the state need to be constantly aware of roaming white-tailed deer, according to a state deer biologist.
Despite a persistent rumor, neither the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) nor any other state agency will compensate motorists for injuries or damages resulting from deer collisions. Besides practicing safe and defensive driving techniques, each motorist should carry adequate collision and comprehensive insurance.
“As the states’ human population increases and more people move to the country which increases commuting traffic, increases in deer-human encounters should be expected,” said Charles Ruth, DNR Deer/Turkey Project supervisor.
The S.C. Department of Public Safety reported about 2,214 deer-vehicle collisions in 2010, one of the lowest numbers since the 1980s. However, this decline may have more to do with lack of reporting for minor damages than with an actual reduction in collisions, according to Ruth. Although deer-vehicle collisions are an issue in South Carolina, the state is in a much better position than most states, particularly states in the Northeast and upper Midwest. Many states have 30,000-50,000 deer-vehicle collisions annually.
“Sound deer management through regulated annual harvests is the most effective way of curtailing deer-vehicle collisions,” Ruth said, “but following some common sense rules for driving defensively in deer country will make the trip safer.”
White-tailed deer are masters at evading predators, according to Ruth. However, these same predator-avoidance instincts often cause deer to bolt in front of oncoming vehicles.When deer are sighted well ahead of the vehicle, Ruth recommends sounding the horn several times, flicking headlights (if no oncoming traffic is present) and reducing the vehicle's speed. If deer are sighted only a short distance in front of the vehicle, these same collision-avoidance techniques—horn and flicking lights—may spook the deer into running across the road, thereby increasing the likelihood of a collision, so in that case it’s best to just slow down.
Always anticipate another deer if you see one or more crossing the highway and do not expect the deer to get out of the way. Fortunately, deer-vehicle collisions typically involve damage to the vehicle rather than human injuries. Most serious injuries occur when the motorist loses control of the vehicle and hits an immovable object like a tree or embankment while attempting high risk maneuvers to avoid a deer. If a collision with a deer is imminent, it is best to hit the deer rather than risk losing control of the vehicle.
Motorists should understand that deer-crossing signs — diamond-shaped signs bearing the silhouette of a deer — mark a stretch of road where deer have been hit previously, however, these signs do not mark specific deer trails. Deer may frequently cross for several miles where the signs are posted. Studies show that about 45 percent of deer-vehicle collisions occur in roughly a 60-day period that corresponds with the deer-breeding season. In South Carolina, the deer-breeding season, or “rut,” is generally during the months of October and November.
Deer movements, and vehicle collisions, are at their peak during the breeding season in October and November. Also, most vehicle collisions occur near sun-up and sun-down because deer tend to move more during these times. Unfortunately, these are also the times that most humans commute to work in their vehicles.
“Pay attention to changes in habitat types along the highway,” Ruth said. “The zone between habitat types is a likely place for deer to cross a road. Creek bottoms and where agricultural fields meet woodlands are also prime areas for deer to cross roadways.”
Rural or secondary roads rank highest in deer-vehicle accidents because of the frequent curves and narrow shoulders. Motorists often have little warning and therefore limited reaction time when they see deer.
SOURCE: STATE POINT MEDIA
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