Deer on motorway.

[brigant]

Was travelling up M65 toward Preston yesterday afternoon and about 200 yards in front of me a deer ran out across my path, hesitated at central barrier then jumped it and ran across other carriageway in front of traffic. Never seen anything like it although I have heard of cars hitting deer resulting in serious damage to car and deer. Completely distracted me and I missed my turnoff.

[AlphaOmega]

Sounds like a near miss - could have been nasty.

Tangentially related, I was driving through a quieter part of town a couple of weeks back.

I was on an A Road where there's a speed camera just before a pedestrian crossing.

I slowed and out of the corner of my eye I saw a small black and white cat at the side of the road.

The cat walked forward a little then sat at the edge of the crossing and looked at me.

This amused me a little, so I slowed to a halt. An oncoming car saw that I had stopped and began to slow, too - I pointed to the cat at the side of the road and the chap saw him.

Both of us then watched as the cat trotted across the crossing. Looking both ways, of course.

As I drove on, the chap in the car opposite was smiling.

[funkstar]

You don't want to hit a deer.

Some years ago a colleague hit a young horse while on a dual carriage way, the impact took the engine block off it's mounts and wrote off a brand new car. He was lucky the animal didn't come through the screen.

[unclealec]

That's a coincidence - the deer doesn't want you to hit it either.

[Chris W]

FUnny you should bring this up - we had a near miss last night with 3 deer.
We were travelling down the A34/Stafford Road on one of our evening jaunts over Cannock Chase with the kids - ironically deer spotting.....
When just after it changes to National Speed Limit a Doe came hurtling over the bank and across the road - closely followed by another Doe - stopped the car in time and sat there thinking 'that was lucky' then a Stag (who was obviously feeling a bit frisky) launched over the bank about 3 feet infront of the car.
Gave us all a bit of a fright.

Comedy moment of the evening goes to my 2.5 year old daughter - who after we'd pulled over in the next lay-by so the wife could decide if she wanted to throw up proclaimed: "Daddy, Stag freak me out!"

Be careful out there!

[tixntox]

My cousin collected me at Washington Dulles airport and on the way back to his house, we hit a fully grown deer at around 50mph. It came straight out of the darkness at the edge of the highway. The front offside of the MPV caught the front of the deer and it went spinning around as we were braking. The spinning action of the deer caused its feet to strike every single panel down the side of the vehicle. $7000 worth of damage and one dead deer. When we got back to my uncle's house he was annoyed that we hadn't brought it home on the roof! The state policeman told us that had we been in a car, I would have had the antlers through my chest!

Mike

[mattmillard]

A couple of years ago I was driving home from work, fairly fast along a long, straight, dark country road (that I knew well) - a Deer jumped out of the hedge and literally leapt across my bonnet. They say you should not swerve but you do naturally, it's a reaction you don't even think about. I swerved, crossing the white line badly but did not hit the Deer - if anything had been coming the other way, I think it would have been lights out for me. Am a bit more cautious in those types of scenarios now.

[Cirrus]

I used to see them quite often at night when living in the Lake District... those ******* seem to be able to jump over walls higher than they are without bending their legs! Never managed to hit one, but got my fair share of hares and rabbits.

[Dunce]

I have 3 or 4 almost permanently in my garden. Nice to see but they eat everything I grow. We are plagued by them around here.

[Jestermedia]

My Dad owned a timber haulage business for a while and one night he was driving back from a drop-off in the flat-bed lorry and a deer jumped over the hedge, landed on the back of the flat-bed and bounced off again and over the hedge on the other side of the road. The deer didn't flinch apparently although my Dad practically **** himself!

[Huertecilla]

Some years ago a colleague hit a young horse while on a dual carriage way, the impact took the engine block off it's mounts and wrote off a brand new car. He was lucky the animal didn't come through the screen.

That is almost a weekly in the Netherlands nowadays.
On horse fora the response is; poor animal - motorist always drive too fast.
Whát? Better fences? Woa, that would mean it would get too expensive for them to keep a horse!

[Huertecilla]

I have 3 or 4 almost permanently in my garden. Nice to see but they eat everything I grow. We are plagued by them around here.

Good food!!

[chrisparker]

I saw one watching traffic at the side of the road on the A63 approaching the Humber bridge on Monday. I'm not sure whether it was already injured or waiting for a clear road.

[Jestermedia]

I saw one watching traffic at the side of the road on the A63 approaching the Humber bridge on Monday. I'm not sure whether it was already injured or waiting for a clear road.

Hitching?

[unclealec]

No, that's in Hertfordshire.

[PJ S]

Hitching?

Na, no thumbs.

[thorpey69]

Here's the consequences of me hitting a deer a year or so ago,wasn't a pleasant experience for me and certainly not for the deer which unfortunately didn't die straight away.

[PCthug]

Its actually VERY common.
At certain times of the year it can be almost a weekly occurrence in my county, I have dealt with MANY deer strikes.
Another reasons to slow down and stick to the limits.

Also deer are creatures of habit, they will follow certain paths and usually cross roads at the same points time and time again.

[WatchScout]

A deer can do a much damage to a motor. I shudder at the thought of what damage an elk or a moose can do.

Several years ago I hit a roe buck whilst driving a VW Golf/Rabbit (I was in the car, the deer was running across the road.

Approaching a wooded area, I know to have plenty of deer, I always slow down to a creeping speed especially at night.


The deer in question how ever ambushed me in the open fields encompassing the road before the woods. He had been hiding in a ditch and jumped up, when he saw me. The buck hit my car right in the middle of the grille where the VW badge is. He flew over the bonnet and into a field. Smashed in the front end of the car and caused £3K worth of damage and still the car was never the same Again. It was evidently out of alignment after that or some such thing. I thought it a simple fix but apparently not.

On the plus side, I had thought about what I would do, as there are lot of deer where I lived and I executed a text book manouvre.
Doing 90kmph on a road with another car close by, I took my foot off the gas pedal, popped the clutch, gripped the steering wheel and never swerved an inch - all within a minimum of reaction time.

Hit the deer and kept full control of the vehicle.

I scooped up the deer, brought it home and ate it. Most expensive deer, I ever bagged......, but very easy skinning job.

As for dogs and other animals, I NEVER swerve for anything less than a Great Dane. I dont brake either - unless I feel, that I have the time to look in the rear view mirror. You sort of owe that to those in motors behind you.

[simes]

I dont brake either - unless I feel, that I have the time to look in the rear view mirror. You sort of owe that to those in motors behind you.

No you don't. If they are driving too close they deserve everything they get.

[PhilipK]

Driving to the train station on Tuesday morning, a Roe deer ran in front of me. Not what you expect at 6:30am in the centre of Winchester! (It managed to avoid the traffic, and was last seen heading towards a wooded area).

I used to live near Cambridge, in a house backing on to Milton Country Park, and we often used to get Muntjac deer in our back garden, and I know that they are invading many towns (a bit like urban foxes), but I was surprised to see a Roe deer in such a built-up area.

[RJS]

We hit a red deer stag on a rally a number of years ago. It managed to run away but I have no idea how badly injured it was. Badly damaged front wing on a Sunbeam Lotus though.

I see roe deer almost daily grazing at the side of the M77. In the darker evenings they graze under the street lamps. It's a bit worrying when you see half a dozen on either side - can't help thinking one is going to run across but not happened yet.

The variable message signs on the M77 regularly have 'High risk of deer on road'. In fact, there a quite a few showing this just now

http://trafficscotland.org/vms/

[DS3R]

Heading north on the M5 towards either the m50 or Tewkesbury turn off (may be the same, whaddo I know), on the bank hol weekend, you go up a really long hill.

I saw a squirrel jump from the trees on the other carriageway.

He ran.

He stopped and changed lanes. He dropped back from lane 3 to 2 to avoid a big Merc.

He jumped on to the central reservation. I was rootin' for him by now.

Waited for a gap, and hoofed it.

6 lanes, 2 hard shoulders, all the way, no problemo.

So awesome :)

[walkerwek1958]

I had a very similar incident on the A1 a few years ago. A deer on the central reservation decided to cross the road as I was bearing down on it at around 85mph. Fortunately it changed it's mind and crossed in front of the next car.....which miraculously missed it. The deer made it to the other side of the road without causing an accident by sheer good fortune.

It's fair to say I was slightly shaken!

Paul

[PJ S]

Heading north on the M5 towards either the m50 or Tewkesbury turn off (may be the same, whaddo I know), on the bank hol weekend, you go up a really long hill.

I saw a squirrel jump from the trees on the other carriageway.

He ran.

He stopped and changed lanes. He dropped back from lane 3 to 2 to avoid a big Merc.

He jumped on to the central reservation. I was rootin' for him by now.

Waited for a gap, and hoofed it.

6 lanes, 2 hard shoulders, all the way, no problemo.

So awesome :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY9GBl7UmVs

[Captainhowdy]

Yesterday the matrix signs on the M8 warned there was a "High risk of Deer"

Looks like is a fairly big problem, 10,000 incidents per year in Scotland.

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/245735-d...oad-accidents/

[Keke]

Moose (elk?) and reindeer (mostly Lapland region) are those animals which causes accidents over here. Especially moose causes a lot of damage and some fatalities because the size of the animal is so big.