Deer involved in 1,300 road accidents in seven years, with Kerry topping collision list

Kerry, Cork, Galway, Tipperary, and Wicklow — which have the largest populations of deer in Ireland — recorded the highest number of deer-related accidents

The Oireachtas agriculture committee heard that, of the 1,300 traffic accidents from 2019 to 2025, 41 involved injury to road users. File picture

More than 1,300 traffic accidents in the past seven years have involved wild deer. An Oireachtas committee has heard that the number of insurance claims for deer-related incidents has also increased in recent years.

A number of areas pose a higher risk for motorists across the county, with almost half of all collisions involving deer happening in Kerry, Cork, Wicklow, Tipperary, and Donegal.