TIVERTON — Deer have run into three of the town’s police cruisers in the last 10 days, smacking the front of one and causing minor damage to the sides of two others. The repair bill will exceed $5,000, according to Police Chief Thomas Blakey.

No one was injured, Blakey said.

He warned motorists to drive with caution in wooded areas in Tiverton and other rural communities, where the mating season brings on erratic behavior by deer, which are normally cautious animals.

Nationally, 231 people were killed in auto collisions with deer last year, Blakey said.

Locally, auto body shops have reported an increase in business due to car-deer crashes. The state Department of Environmental Management also has issued a warning to watch out for deer on Rhode Island roads.

Shotgun season for deer hunting starts Saturday.

— Gina Macris