Why you should hit deer on the road...

This is an absolute tragic story...

MN Woman Fights For Life After Swerving For Deer

And I'm gonna use it to get up on my soap box.

It's deer season right now (deer hunting season, that is) and deer have been thick in Minnesota for the past few weeks. In my case, it's not if I see deer going to or from work, but how many.

I take for granted that if you see a deer, or any other animal for that matter, on the road you slow down but never, ever swerve to avoid it. You may do some damage to your vehicle, but you have a much better chance of not suffering injuries. You may have a minor bump or bruise, but it's rare to have a serious injury if you hit the animal head-on. (Moose not applicable in this case.) In case of bear, yeah, you'll probably total your vehicle (I have two sister-in-laws who have), but again, minor injuries.

I take this for granted because I grew up around this. Some of you grew up knowing how to hail a taxi (something which I had no clue about until a trip eight years ago), some of us learn how to spot deer in the ditch.

So as a reminder, please, don't swerve to avoid wildlife on the road. The life you save will be your own - and those of your passengers.

 

Ugh, horrible story. Lots of experience with deer but thankfully have always braked in time. The swerving advice is good but in that split second, people's natural instinct is probably to yank the steering wheel left or right.

Rosie, Minnesota question. Did they ever figure out what happened to that pickup driver who went through the median in perfect conditions and hit that car with the father and his little boy, who were both killed, after a weekend up north?

 

It's natural instinct to swerve, but if I have to choose between me or the deer, the deer will loose every time. I've had deer run into the side of my vehicle, I've hit some straight on. Only killed one of them, the rest all ran off.

The pickup driver died a day or two after the accident. I think he was only 18. I have to contact the State Patrol next week about another fatal accident investigation, I'll try to remember to ask about that one.

Usually the accident reconstruction results take a couple months, so it may be a while before any results are released.

 

Re: Deer in the road

Honestly, I think it depends on the car you're driving. If you're in a low-slung car like a Camry, then there's a chance the deer winds up coming through the windshield if you hit it. So aim for the hindquarters if possible. Better to clip the deer than hit it smack in the middle.

 

DON'T SWERVE, EDNA!!!

 

*totally embarrassed*

I didn't know you actually did "hail a taxi" - I thought it was just a television thing. The trip was a national convention and I was with a gal from New Jersey - she was nice enough to not call me a backwoods bumpkin.

 

I wouldn't have a clue how to flag down a taxi.

You should have seen the look I got from my college newspaper advisor (who I momentarily forgot was from New York) when I asked him if he knew how to "city drive" before a trip to Chicago.

 

That Deer would be more likely to strikeout than hit you..

 

Put me in the "don't swerve" camp.

I did three years ago on a wet road and ended up sliding through three lanes of traffic and into a ditch. Thankfully, no one was coming or I'd probably be dead/seriously injured.

I know about the overpopulation/decline of natural habitat, but I can't understand why deer are so prevalent along roadways. I mean, shouldn't the sound of an automobile scare them off at least a little?

 

Well I don't know what else you call waving down a car that has "Taxi" written all over it.

I would think this might be something to sent to Mythbusters. Whenever I've hit a deer head-on, it's always flung to the right or left of the vehicle (at times, hitting the side of the vehicle). The smallest vehicle I ever hit a deer with was a Ford Fairmont, head-on, flung to the left and ran off.