Motorists should be alert for deer on roads

As the day’s get shorter, many drivers find themselves on the road at dusk or early evening. Unfortunately, that is also a deer’s favorite time to be on the roads.

The last three months of the year are the most active for deer, but that carries over into the early part of the new year. Deer are also more active between dusk and dawn. Consequently, that time of day and this time of year are when most car-deer collisions occur.

Hitting a 100-pound object while driving at highway speed can result in a serious accident where both the animal and the motorist are injured -- or worse.

“I hit a deer once and it cost me $3,000,” Effie resident Darrell Wiley said. “I was driving back from work on La. 107. It was dark. I saw a car up ahead swerve and I caught a glimpse of legs in the headlights.”

Wiley said he thought it was a big dog at first, but he slowed down.

“That’s when I saw a group of deer on the side of the road,” he continued. “A big nanny looked right at me and then jumped into my right front bumper, over the hood and into my windshield.”

The doe was killed on impact, Wiley sustained no injuries, but the vehicle had to be towed away for repairs.

NATIONAL STATISTICS
Nationwide, deer-vehicle collisions account for about 1.5 million accidents causing $1 billion in damage and resulting in 150 deaths and 10,000 injuries a year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra-tion reports. The NHTSA said the actual number of accidents is probably higher due to an inconsistency in reporting such accidents among the states.

The Insurance Information Institute said the average cost of a deer-vehicle accident was $4,135 in 2015.

An insurance industry study found the top-10 states for deer hits to be Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Minnesota, Virginia, Indiana, Texas and Wisconsin.

One of the risks of living in a rural area blessed with abundant wildlife is that sometimes there are unpleasant interactions between the human and animal residents. Vehicle accidents are the most common of those unpleasant interactions.

A driver cannot stop Bambi or his mother from suddenly appearing in the road ahead, but the motorist can take steps to minimize the chances of an accident and reduce the damage and likelihood of injury.

HELPFUL TIPS
The key element to avoiding or minimizing the effects of an accident is for the driver to be alert to his surroundings.

Scan the roadsides for signs of deer. Increase visibility by using high beams when there is no oncoming traffic.

Drivers should always wear a seatbelt, just in case of an unexpected incident.

Do not swerve to avoid the deer. It is a natural reflex to try to move away from the immediate threat. However, swerving into the oncoming traffic lane could result in a head-on collision with another vehicle. Swerving off the road could result in striking a tree. If impact with a deer is unavoidable, brake and hold the steering wheel straight. This will reduce the severity of damage and injury.

Remember, the deer may bolt before you reach it. The oncoming car and the tree won’t. The animal will also have more “give” on impact than a vehicle or tree.

Again, it is important to be properly seatbelted to reduce the severity of injuries in the event of a collision. As the saying goes, “It’s not the speed that’s dangerous, it’s the sudden stop.”

Motorists cannot rely on devices such as “deer whistles” on their vehicle to protect against a deer hit. Studies have shown that these devices have no effect on deer and may make a driver less aware of the potential for deer on the highway.

Because deer roam great distances in search of food, they can appear on any road that cuts through their foraging area. In Avoyelles Parish, that’s practically parishwide.

The animal is unpredictable and often moves in a group. So, if you see a doe peacefully eating grass on the edge of the woods, don’t relax. Be alert for that doe to suddenly jump into the road or for one of her herdmates to appear out of nowhere.

ABOUT INSURANCE
There is one other reason to “brake, don’t swerve” when encountering a deer on the road.

If a vehicle owner has “full coverage” on the vehicle, the car will be repaired under the comprehensive coverage of the insurance policy if he hits the deer. “Comp” claims are generally not chargeable because the insured is not responsible for the damage. Other types of comp claims include hail, fire, falling limbs, damage caused by a car thief, etc.

However, if the driver swerves to miss the deer and hits another car or inanimate object, it would be covered under the collision coverage of the policy. The driver could also be considered to be at fault for the collision accident, which could result in the premium being raised.

Unfortunately, if the driver does not have comprehensive coverage on his policy, all repair costs will have to come out of pocket. For that reason, vehicle owners should consider whether “full coverage” on their paid-off vehicle is worth the extra cost over liability-only coverage.
Deer don’t carry insurance and cannot be sued to cover your damages.