It only takes a matter of seconds. Glinting eyes appear with the silhouette of a deer as a driver’s headlights sweep across the road. By then, it may be too late.

Such incidents are common in Butler County. According to last year’s totals, the county had almost twice the number of deer-to-vehicle collisions as neighboring counties.

Over Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, the average number of deer collisions last year were 50 per county. Butler County saw 133 accidents in 2014, nearly 4 percent of the statewide total of 3,300.

“The first word that comes to mind is frightening,” said Jocelyn Howard of the C.W. Howard Insurance agency.

Howard knows the insurance business and has had a few accidents personally as well. She said she sees car-deer collisions frequently on county back-roads.

“If it’s nighttime, you see their shiny eyes,” she said. “And, when you see one, there’s probably another.”

Howard said deer are unpredictable animals on the road, but people can pay attention to certain hot spots in the area.

“There’s really no magic,” she said. “They’re kind of hard to avoid sometimes.”

Howard said drivers should drive defensively at a slow, tentative pace with their high beams on. She said drivers should stay focused and limit distractions such as cell phones, radios and other devices.

“It could happen anywhere,” she said. “Be slow and watch the guy in front of you.”

Howard said if an accident is unavoidable, drivers should stay calm and not swerve, especially not into oncoming traffic.

“You never want to swerve toward traffic because you can cause an even bigger accident,” she said.

Howard said drivers tend to sympathize for the animal.

“Don’t get out of the car to check on the deer,” she said.

The animal could still be alive and hurt the driver if it thrashes. Drivers should stay in their car until help arrives.

Howard said most deer collisions result in significant damage to the vehicles. She said in many cases, the damage can be worse than it appears.

Joseph “Jay” Pierrel of Joe Pierrel Auto in Center Township said his workload increases this time of year. Mid-fall is a time that typically sees an uptick in deer sightings and incidents, due to an approaching mating season.

“It’s very hectic,” Pierrel said. “It makes the car undrivable.”

Pierrel said the people usually hit deer with the front bumper, most often impacting headlights and radiators. He said the hidden damage occurs with rubber bumpers that are more elastic and look less damaged, but the bumpers still bend back and hit the car’s engine compartment.

Pierrel said individual parts can range from a $100 to $5,000 depending on the make, model and part availability. On average, he sees a total repair cost of $3,000 to $4,000 per vehicle.

He said usually cost takes a back burner compared to the time the repairs take, which isn’t long, but there is a queue.

“It’s a tough time of the year,” he said. “Every insurance company thinks they have priority.”

Pierrel said customers sometimes have high expectations until they see the full lot of cars out back.

“We try to do them as they come in,” he said.

Pierrel said he’s seen more deer year-round than usual as well. He said hunters are having problems handling the rising number of deer.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission released last season’s results. During the 2014-15 season hunters harvested an estimated 303,973 deer, which decreased from 352,920 in the 2013-14 season.

One factor the commission pointed to in their March 9 media release was unfavorable weather that fluctuated between extreme heat and cold.

“When the weather is warmer, hunters tend to sit tight longer, and the deer tend to move less, as well,” Dave Putnam, president of the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners said. “Meanwhile, adverse weather can be just about unhuntable, and the deer seek cover too, which decreases hunter success rates.”

Pierrel said he blames less interest in the sport for the rise in deer population. He said there are fewer young hunters joining than older hunters leaving the hobby.

Hunters may have more work ahead, but insurance agents need to focus on getting their claims done fast because of the inevitable spike in accidents.

Howard said from an insurance standpoint, drivers should photograph the damage and not wash the vehicle until after the claims officer checks it.

Howard said many times coverage only affects vehicles making contact with a deer. Washing the vehicle would remove the biological evidence.

Howard said no one wants to have these types of accidents, but even a person with a perfect driving record might hit a deer.

“Even with all the precautions you take, sometimes, it’s just unavoidable,” she said. “That’s why they’re called accidents.”