mmcartalk
Expert
- Messages
- 4,155
- Reactions
- 2,675
Watch out for deer...it's that time of year again.
Most of you are probably well-aware of the hazards of deer on our roadways, but it's especially important this time of year, which, in many parts of the U.S. is deer-mating season (typically at its peak in November). Along with mating season comes a suppression of their usual caution in dashing out into traffic. If you see a female (doe) without antlers run across the road ahead of you, be aware that a male (buck) with antlers may be close behind. In some cases, young bucks may not have visible horns or antlers, either. So, be ready to slow down, hit the brakes, or swerve on a split-second notice...and, of course, keep your speed down to start with. A collision with a deer, especially a big full-grown buck, can be quite an impact, and deer-collisions account for a significant portion of insurance claims/medical expenses each year. A friend of mine, for instance, had a Nissan Quest minivan that was not much more than a year old, and hit a big buck. There was enough damage to total even a vehicle that new (well into five figures). His wife suffered cuts that required a number of stitches, because the air bags didn't go off...the deer hit the front fender at a point that didn't trigger the sensors, and bounced up on the windshield. So, the dangers of a collision are quite real.
This year, it seems to be starting in my area (D.C. suburbs) even earlier than usual. Today, for instance, I had two fairly close calls. The first was with a solitary doe (or young buck?) running right across the road in front of me, on an off-ramp from a major highway into a shopping mall. I missed her by around maybe 20 feet. The second was on a major highway with four lanes of traffic, and cars on both sides of me, but no one in front for a while. A doe ran out into the road, stopped right in the middle of the multi-lanes for a second or two, and then continued all the way across...sure enough, a buck, apparantly looking for a little romance, ran out a couple of seconds behind her, and more or less repeated the same thing. I had to brake moderately hard and swerve to the right (mindful of traffic in the adjacent lane) and back around...I noticed traffic behind me, in the mirror, doing likewise. Fortunately, no cars hit either of them. As we get into the peak of mating season, of course, one can expect more of this.
Most of you are probably well-aware of the hazards of deer on our roadways, but it's especially important this time of year, which, in many parts of the U.S. is deer-mating season (typically at its peak in November). Along with mating season comes a suppression of their usual caution in dashing out into traffic. If you see a female (doe) without antlers run across the road ahead of you, be aware that a male (buck) with antlers may be close behind. In some cases, young bucks may not have visible horns or antlers, either. So, be ready to slow down, hit the brakes, or swerve on a split-second notice...and, of course, keep your speed down to start with. A collision with a deer, especially a big full-grown buck, can be quite an impact, and deer-collisions account for a significant portion of insurance claims/medical expenses each year. A friend of mine, for instance, had a Nissan Quest minivan that was not much more than a year old, and hit a big buck. There was enough damage to total even a vehicle that new (well into five figures). His wife suffered cuts that required a number of stitches, because the air bags didn't go off...the deer hit the front fender at a point that didn't trigger the sensors, and bounced up on the windshield. So, the dangers of a collision are quite real.
This year, it seems to be starting in my area (D.C. suburbs) even earlier than usual. Today, for instance, I had two fairly close calls. The first was with a solitary doe (or young buck?) running right across the road in front of me, on an off-ramp from a major highway into a shopping mall. I missed her by around maybe 20 feet. The second was on a major highway with four lanes of traffic, and cars on both sides of me, but no one in front for a while. A doe ran out into the road, stopped right in the middle of the multi-lanes for a second or two, and then continued all the way across...sure enough, a buck, apparantly looking for a little romance, ran out a couple of seconds behind her, and more or less repeated the same thing. I had to brake moderately hard and swerve to the right (mindful of traffic in the adjacent lane) and back around...I noticed traffic behind me, in the mirror, doing likewise. Fortunately, no cars hit either of them. As we get into the peak of mating season, of course, one can expect more of this.
