The driver of this sport-utility vehicle swerved to avoid a deer just before noon Friday on Marwood Road in Cabot, causing her vehicle to travel up an embankment and roll on to its passenger side, state police said.

The female driver complained of shoulder pain and was not taken to a hospital. The vehicle was towed from the scene.

In a Thursday press release, the Pennsylvania Game Commission advised motorists to slow down and stay alert as deer are increasingly active at this time of year. Further, daylight-savings time will soon put more vehicles on the road during the hours when deer move most, the release continued.

“While the peak of the rut still is a few weeks off, deer already have ramped up their activity and are crossing roads more frequently,” said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “While motorists – at all times of year – should remain alert while driving and be on the lookout for whitetails, it's especially important now and in the coming weeks.”

Data from around the country indicates Pennsylvania drivers face some of the highest risks of a vehicle collision with a deer or other large animal. A recent report shows Pennsylvania led the country in animal-collision insurance claims in the fiscal year 2020-21.

Pennsylvania drivers, according to the report, have a 1-in-54 chance of a vehicular accident involving a big game animal – one of the highest rates nationwide.

The Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Department responded to the Friday accident.

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