Colliding with a deer is not something anyone wants to do, and it's far from ones thoughts when driving through beautiful countryside. The warning triangular sign of a deer with red outline, can seem overcautious when no deer are to be seen. But the danger's always there.
At certain times of the day, such as at dusk or dawn, animals come out into the open to cross the roads. Vegetation camouflages animals as they approach the road leaving little or no time to avoid them, by Carol Miers.
Deer are shy creatures and we aren't used to their habits. Although they move quickly, it is not always fast enough.
What can be done to reduce the risks of accidents?
When a deer crosses the road, there could be another shortly behind, slow down, and always reduce speed in rural areas where the visibility either side of the road is restricted.
No driver wants a collision - but grip the steering wheel and keep course, rather than swerve into a ditch or hit a tree to avoid the deer.
This advice and more is written into the RSPCA's guidelines built from the experience of their thousands of yearly calls regarding deer accidents.
Drivers travel through changing scenery, that's the nature of the British landscape, and it can be surprising how much wildlife is in an area.
To find out more about an area you are going to, you can look it up, on sites like the one for the Deer Initiative. The RSPCA is a member, and they produced a report identifying blackspots.
Download it from their website or directly; Deer On Our Roads - Counting the Cost
Related articles: A fact-filled report in the Telegraph on the large numbers of collisions drivers have with deer.
Recent press releases: Deer collisions.
Safety;A deer never replaces another life, read the AA's Ten Safety Tips.
Deer problems?
www.microbee.co.uk for some suggestions and answers
Posted by: D Channon | Jul 15, 2010 at 08:10 PM