When most people think about car accidents, their minds automatically wander toward an accident involving multiple vehicles, an accident involving texting while driving or accidents caused by inclement weather. However, very few people remember that one of the biggest risks to driver safety is the wild animal, not other people.
Any auto accident lawyer can tell you that some of the biggest hazards to drivers on the road are deer. Here are a few statistics about collisions between deer and vehicles that you should keep in mind before you drive through an area with many deer:
Most collisions between deer and vehicles result in a slow and painful death for the deer.
There are more than 250,000 collisions between deer and vehicles each and every year.
Collisions between vehicles and deer cause more than one billion dollars in property damage every year. Additionally, the prevention of collisions between deer and vehicles costs various governmental agencies more than three billion dollars every year.
What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
Many drivers have asked what they can do to protect themselves from deer on the road. Although many collisions between deer and vehicles are simply caused by bad luck, there are still a few precautions that an auto accident lawyer can recommend:
Consider investing in a deer whistle. Deer whistles are relatively new pieces of technology that are attached to your car and transmit in a frequency that will scare the deer. Some people argue that deer whistles are ineffective, but they have many supporters.
Know where the deer habitats are in your area. Most collisions between deer and vehicles happen in areas where human beings have broken up a deer habitat. If you know where the deer habitats are in your area, you will be able to be extra vigilant when you drive through them.
Pay attention to all posted signs. Most roads that have a history of deer sightings will have posted signs. If you see one such sign, you should assume that you will see a deer on the road.
Hitting a deer while you are driving can be a traumatic experience for any driver. However, an auto accident lawyer cautions you to remember the many ways that you can protect yourself from a collision between your vehicle and a deer.