Sunday 25 December 2011

Deer collisions





  I have written much about safe driving, especially in winter, when deer congregate in winter feeding areas.

With the bucks rutting and the ladies running from them in the fall, then hunting for food in winter, it can be crazy.
There have been several deaths due to cars hitting deer. Deer weigh between 100 - 300 lbs., they are quite heavy beasts despite their nimbleness.

Able to leap tall cars in a single bound.

My favourite yearling, Tigger, bounces around the yard. He dances, bounds, jumps, leaps. Entertaining and worth his weight in deer feed!


Each detachment keep information about individual detachment collisions. One has to visit the Police Service Board at the local township office to find the information for each Township. But here is an article I read after a press release...
 Vehicle-wildlife collisions up in January
NorthernLife.ca

OPP warn about the hazards of driving at dawn and dusk, but especially between 6 and 9 p.m. Animals are on the move during the fall seasons (Oct., Nov., Dec.). Now they are desperate for food.  The story doesn't always end well for the driver. Seldom ends well for Bambi.



  • Use your high beams. 
  • Watch for unsafe passing conditions. 
  • If you can't avoid hitting the deer, due to an oncoming car, then do better the deer than the car. 
  • Look in the ditches, watch for deer in the headlights.

Many have posted information about avoiding deer collisions. Even EMS crews are not immune.
See EverydayEmsTips, for one post on how to avoid them.


storage shed/wood shed
While we have much lower stats in Ontario, our population is 1/10th of that in the US' 300 million...

When you consider the population of the US, the numbers are staggering.

Deer-Vehicle Collision Frequency Jumps 18 Percent in 5 Years

Using its claims data, insurer State Farm estimates 2.4 million collisions between deer and vehicles occurred in the United States during the 2-year period between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2009 (100,000 per month).  That's 18.3 percent more than 5 years earlier.

6 comments:

SandyCarlson said...

I enjoyed your video and your post. I love these graceful, gentle creatures, too.

Kay said...

Wow! I'm surprised they let you come up so close. They sure are pretty.

Gill - That British Woman said...

I love how tame they are. Do you have to feed them in a shed, or could you feed them out in the open?

Gill

Anonymous said...

Those deer are delightful. We have the same problem with elks - they can total a car and cause a lot of damage or even death...

Grandma K said...

We do have to be wary when traveling the roads of the Texas Hill Country. My husband hit a deer ONCE, and it changed him. We try not to drive after dark in most places (big cities removed from the list).

Jenn Jilks said...

It is crazy driving everywhere, isn't it?

We feed them outside at a feeder. The shed stores the feed, supposed to keep out the other critters... :-)
Hubby found a big deer mouse in the deer feeder in the shed! Lots of Oliver cat prints around, too. Busy spot! You can watch Oliver caught in the act!