MOTORISTS are being warned about the dangers of animals on the road after a car overturned when the driver swerved to avoid a deer.

The driver said he was lucky to be alive after the crash near Milborne St Andrew, which wrecked his car.

It is estimated there are between 40,000 and 74,000 deer-related road accidents each year in the UK and many are in Dorset.

Dorset Police attended 21 road incidents in west Dorset relating to deer in just two months last year.

Experts say there are growing numbers of deer in Dorset which are moving around, and they are always looking for unfenced areas to graze – often these are at the sides of busy roads.

The A31, A35 and A351 have been identified by the Deer Initiative partnership as hotspots for deer running out into traffic.

Worst times are between April and June when young deer disperse from breeding areas and the rutting season between October and November.

Motorists are now being warned again of the dangers after a recent crash.

A 25-year-old man, who did not want to be identified, said he was negotiating a bend on a lane between Milton Abbas and Winterborne Whitechurch when a deer jumped out of the hedge.

He said: “I swerved to miss it and ended up losing control of the car. It slid into the bank then flipped over twice before sliding to a halt on its roof.

“If it wasn’t for the seatbelt, I’d be dead for sure.

“I turned the car off and unclipped my belt and had to kick open the passenger door as the car was so badly squashed it wouldn’t open.

“I then cleared the road of all the tools I had in the boot that had flown out as the car had turned over and I called the police straight away.

“A passer-by had called the ambulance as they couldn’t believe I was ok and just wanted to be sure. The ambulance crew checked me over and I was absolutely fine, not a scratch on me. I feel very lucky to be alive. And seeing pictures of the car makes me feel sick.”

“The police and ambulance were fantastic and all the people that stopped to make sure I was ok. No one could believe I was fine.”

The incident happened at around 8pm last Sunday.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: “We were called at 8.31pm to reports of a single vehicle collision. The vehicle had overturned after the driver had to swerve to avoid a deer.

“The accident happened about a mile and a half from Milborne St Andrew on the south side of Milton Abbas.

“The car involved was a blue Peugeot 206.”

Deer are said to be most active around dawn and dusk.

Advice to motorists from the Deer Initiative says to be aware that further deer may well cross after the one you may have noticed, as they will more often move around in groups rather than alone.

After dark, use full beams when there’s no opposing traffic. The headlight beam will illuminate the eyes of deer and provide greater driver reaction time. But when you see a deer or other animals on the road, dim headlights, as animals startled by the beam may ‘freeze’.

Don’t over-swerve to avoid a deer. If a collision with the animal seems inevitable, then hit it while maintaining full control of your car. The alternative of swerving into oncoming traffic or a ditch could be even worse. An exception here may be motorcyclists, who are at particular risk when in direct collisions with animals.

Only brake sharply and stop if there is no danger of being hit by following traffic.

Try to come to a stop as far in front of the animal as possible to enable it to leave the roadside without panic.

Report any deer-vehicle collisions to the police, who will contact the local person who can best help.