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Flags Fly At Half Staff After NJ Trooper Killed In Crash

By Cleve Bryan

HAMILTON, N.J., (CBS) -- At New Jersey State Police's Hamilton Station flags flew at half-staff Monday to honor fallen trooper Anthony Raspa.

He died on duty early Saturday morning after hitting a deer and striking a tree on I-195.

According to the Insurance Information Institute nationwide there are about 1.6 million deer-related crashes each year resulting in about 200 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries.

While the most dangerous time is mating season October through December, AAA says drivers need to always be ready.

"Some simple things that motorists should do is obviously be alert, which means eliminating distractions while driving and really paying attention to the road," says AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Tracy Noble.

Some accidents are unavoidable but you don't want to swerve because it could make matters worse and you have to be very careful about slamming on the brakes.

"Don't slam on the brakes as you approach the deer in the road because what slamming on the brakes does is it lowers the front end of the vehicle and it increases the likelihood that the deer will then roll over the top of the vehicle and smash into the windshield ," says Noble.

Other tips include using your high beams whenever possible on dark roads and keeping in mind that deer travel in herds so if you see one there are probably others nearby.

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