How to Avoid Hitting a Deer
Hitting a deer is a common occurrence, especially for drivers who frequently travel through rural or wooded areas. While it can be a scary and traumatizing experience, it’s important to know how to handle the situation properly to ensure everyone’s safety.
First and foremost, if you hit a deer while driving, make sure to pull over to a safe location as soon as possible. Turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers, and check to see if anyone in your car is injured. If you’re uninjured and the car is drivable, move it to the side of the road.
Next, call the police to report the accident. They can help direct traffic and document the incident for insurance purposes. It’s also essential to contact your insurance company as soon as possible, as hitting a deer is typically covered under comprehensive coverage.
It’s crucial not to approach the deer, even if it appears to be dead. Injured animals can be dangerous, and you never know if the deer is still alive and could attack. Additionally, moving the deer can cause further harm to both the animal and yourself.
In summary, hitting a deer can be a traumatic experience, but it’s significant to stay calm and handle the situation properly. Pull over to a safe location, check for injuries, call the police and your insurance company, and avoid approaching the deer. By taking these steps, you can ensure everyone’s safety and minimize the damage caused by the accident.
Avoid hitting a deer – These tips will keep you safe and help prevent costly repairs.
Cruising to enjoy autumn’s colors? Be on the lookout for deer. Insurance claims for hitting a deer rise dramatically in the fall when deer are mating, peaking in November, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It estimates that more than 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions occur each year in the U.S., resulting in approximately $1 billion in vehicle damage.
A new study by State Farm Insurance underscores the danger in certain states, showing that its claims are up 21 percent over the last five years, even though the miles driven by motorists are up by only 2 percent.
“Fall brings the dangerous combination of the deer being more active when we’re driving more in dusk or dark, due to the shorter daylight hours. Stay attentive and make use of your high beams whenever you can to see further ahead to avoid hitting a deer,” says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at Consumer Reports Auto Test Center.
Clearly, these impacts can be fatal to the animals, but the most recent data available from IIHS shows that 186 people were killed in crashes involving animals in 2015.
“The best defense is common sense,” says Russ Rader, IIHS spokesman. “Slow down in areas where deer are prevalent. If you see one deer cross the road ahead, others are likely to follow.” He noted that most human deaths in these crashes happen when a vehicle runs off the road or a motorcyclist falls off the bike after a collision. “Most of the human deaths would be prevented if every driver buckled up and every motorcyclist wore a helmet,” Rader says.
State Farm’s annual deer claim study reveals a consistent roster of the 10 states with the most collisions, and the latest figures show that there is increased chance of hitting a deer in those locations.
HOW TO AVOID HITTING A DEER
There are precautions you can take to help avoid hitting a deer or other animal:
- Slow down. Watch for deer especially around dawn and between the hours of 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., when deer are most active.
- Be aware. Look out for deer-crossing signs and wooded areas where deer or other animals are likely to travel. And if you travel the same route to and from work every day, you might find deer consistently grazing in the same fields. Make a mental note of when and where you regularly see these animals.
- Be alert. If you see an animal on the side of the road, slow down, and at night when traffic permits, put on your high beams for greater visibility.
- Brake, don’t swerve. Swerving to avoid an animal can put you at risk for hitting another vehicle or losing control of your own car. It can also confuse the animal as to which way to go. Instead, just slow down as quickly and safely as you can. Your odds of surviving an accident are better when hitting an animal rather than hitting another car.
- Assume they have friends. The “where there’s one, there’s usually more” often holds true. Deer travel in groups, so if you see one run across the road, expect others to follow.
- Don’t rely on deer whistles. Even with this precaution, animal behavior remains unpredictable.
- Buckle up. A seat belt is your best defense for minimizing your risk in a crash. A past Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found that 60 percent of the people killed in animal-vehicle collisions weren’t wearing seat belts.
If you hit an animal, move your car safely off the road and call police or animal control. Do not attempt to touch an injured animal. Photograph the scene, then call your insurance company when you get home. Animal collisions are often covered in your policy.
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