YOUNGSTOWN - It’s that time of year when drivers in Ohio and Pennsylvania need to keep a sharp lookout for deer crossing the roadway.

According to the Ohio State Patrol, there were four accidents involving deer in Mahoning County early Monday morning and two in Ashtabula County.  State Police reported one car-deer crash in Mercer County on Monday. No humans were injured in the crashes.

"Sometimes there is just a small ding or a dent in the vehicle other times the whole entire front end could be damaged, disabling and unfortunately sometimes a lot of injuries do occur,” Sergeant Patrick Able of OSP said. 

Triple A says that although fall is the perfect time for a scenic drive, October through December is deer mating season.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, there have been 228 deer-related crashes in Trumbull County since the first of the year, and 238 in Mahoning County. If you do hit a deer troopers stress that it's important to pull off to a safe part of the road, call 911 or the local police department and file a report. 

“We always say it’s better to be on the safe side, notify the police department, let them come out, take a look at it,” Sergeant Able said. “At least it’s documented that there was a car-deer crash that did occur and their wasn’t foul play involved."

During last year’s three-month deer mating season, there were more than 3,000 deer-related crashes in Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana Counties.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, deer-vehicle collisions cause over $1 billion in damage each year. In Ohio, the average insurance claim for a deer-vehicle collision is nearly $5,000.

Consumer Reports offers the following tips on how to avoid hitting a deer:

Slow down. Watch for deer, especially around dawn and between the hours of 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., when they’re most active.

Be aware. Look out for deer-crossing signs and wooded areas where animals are likely to travel. If you travel the same route to and from work every day, you may find deer consistently grazing in the same fields. Make a mental note of when and where you regularly see the animals.

Be alert. If you see an animal on the side of the road, slow down. At night when traffic permits, put on your high beams for improved visibility.

Brake, don’t swerve. Swerving to avoid an animal can put you at risk for hitting another vehicle or losing control of your car. It can also confuse the animal as to which way to go. Instead, just slow down as quickly and safely as you can. Your odds for surviving an accident are better when hitting an animal than when hitting another car.

Assume they have friends. “Where there’s one, there are usually more” often holds true. Deer travel in groups, so if you see one run across the road, expect others to follow.

Don’t rely on deer whistles. These are aftermarket devices that some drivers put on their front bumpers to scare off animals. But animal behavior remains unpredictable, even if you use one of these. State Farm advises, “No scientific evidence supports that car-mounted deer whistles work.”

Buckle up. A seat belt is your best defense for minimizing your risk in a crash. An IIHS study found that most of the people killed in animal-vehicle collisions weren’t wearing their seat belts. Motorcycle riders account for more than half the fatalities, and among that group, nearly half the riders who died were not wearing helmets.

If you hit an animal, don’t attempt to touch an injured animal. Photograph the scene, then call your insurance company when you get home.

“You have collision insurance that covers you if you hit an object like a mailbox or a fence or a light post but you want to add on, opt- in for comprehensive coverage and that covers you in the event of a deer related crash,” Lynda Lambert, AAA East Central Spokesperson said.