Driving In Texas-WATCH OUT FOR DEER!

I love the higher speed limits in Texas. With everything being so spread out in this enormous beautiful State--it's nice the limit to how fast you can go is higher than most other places in the country so it doesn't add an extra 30 minutes to your trip on the highway. But stay sharp and stay focused--there are more than 5,000 accidents every year that are vehicle vs deer in the State of Texas, and on average 24 people die each year in these wrecks. YOU don't want to be part of that statistic. We just took my stepdaughter on a road trip up 349 from Midland to Lubbock to meet with the staff at Texas Tech to see about the process for her to attend in a few years-and I'd never seen the road signs in the state warning about deer til that trip. Maybe it's that I just haven't paid that close attention-who knows. But I sure kept my eyes peeled.

Get our free mobile app

Even if you have a cattle guard on your grille, that doesn't mean you are bulletproof out on the highways. Sort of the same way that people who drive big trucks with oversized tires or heavy SUVs aren't any safer on icy or snowy roads than the rest of us. You still have to exercise caution. According to State Farm Insurance, the odds are in our favor here in Texas and we're considered a medium-risk State with odds of 1 in 158 striking a deer or other animal. But, much like the actors in the movie The Hunger Games always repeated-don't rely on the odds always being in your favor. It just takes that one trip to make you that 1 in 158. And parents, teach the kids early on when they start driving to respect the possibilities when they're out there. Let's all be safe as the warm seasons return and animals are out again everywhere!