State safety officials are issuing a warning that now that we’re in the month of October, motorists will face a greater risk of colliding with a deer. This is a result of deer-mating season running from October to January. Last year, there were 22,696 reports of collisions involving vehicles and deer in the state of Ohio. From those collisions, there were 1,031 injuries and seven fatalities. The figures come from officials representing the Ohio Insurance Institute, the Ohio Department of Natural Reserouces wildlife division, the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The highest risk for an accident with a deer occurs from sunset to midnight. Safety forces agree that the main key to preventing deer-collisions is driver awareness.