October 2021 Police Report: Deer & Pedestrian Strikes!

At the November 10, 2021, Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, Police Chief John Hearn gave his October 2021 Police Report.

The Chief highlighted several items including the high number of deer struck by cars and gave some details regarding an October 22, 2021, serious accident involving a pedestrian near the North Sycamore Street/Silo Drive Intersection.

Supervisor John Mack pointed out that there have been a number of accidents involving pedestrians at this location.

It was the Chief's opinion that speeding was not a major factor, it was more about distracted drivers and pedestrians not using the crosswalk.

Mr. Mack asked the Chief if he had any ideas for making this intersection safer such as using yellow warning lights. The Chief pointed out problems with that and suggested that education is needed and that perhaps flyers could be posted in local businesses. He also said he would be meeting with Bucks County traffic officials to see if they had further ideas.

View a video snippet of the Chief's presentation:

Struck Deer 

The following chart shows the trend in "struck deer" as reported by the Newtown Township Police Department. Between 2017 and 2019 there seemed to be an upward trend, but the number was down in 2020. As of the end of October 2021, there were 120 "Auto v. Deer" reports. There's still November and December when about 20% of yearly struck deer incidents occur.