Oh Deer! Driving Tips to Prevent Collisions with Wildlife

Honking may be helpful in some situations but harmful in others. You can’t predict the animal’s response. The sound could trigger a fight, flight, or freeze reflex. For an animal making its way across the road at a good pace, honking could cause it to stop in its tracks. For an animal at a dead stop in the middle of the road, give the horn a good blast.

You could instead flash your lights to scare animals off the road. This may work for deer but usually not for moose.

Do a little research before purchasing anything. Here are some points to consider:

• After-market driving lights: They are very hard on the eyes of oncoming motorists and can temporarily blind the animal, which can create confusion and delas their response.
• Forward collision warning systems: They can help detect wildlife but even the best systems won’t alert you to every instance.
• Deer whistles: There is no independent scientific research to show that they reduce wildlife collisions or influence deer to move away from the road. The whistles are either air-activated or emit an ultrasonic noise. Deer can’t hear the frequencies and the sound is not loud enough to be heard over the noise of traffic.
• Crash guard (also known as bull bar and moose bumper): This tool is designed to reduce vehicle damage if you do strike an animal. It may also help reduce the severity of injuries to the driver and passengers, by deflecting the animal to either side or underneath the vehicle. Some bars can activate your airbags during a collision.

Don’t let any of these tools give you a false sense of security, or depend solely on them. If you see wildlife, the safest reaction is to slow down to lessen or avoid the impact.

Less speed equates to less damage. Take your foot off the accelerator, reduce your speed as much as possible, and maintain control in your lane.

If possible, try braking hard right up until the moment of impact and then ease off. This causes the front of the vehicle to rebound upwards, reducing the likelihood of the animal coming through the windshield. It won’t reduce the harm done to the animal but it can protect vehicle occupants.

Another point to remember: Hitting an animal at a fast speed can flip it into oncoming traffic and cause severe secondary crashes.

The peak times for wildlife collisions in both regions are generally at dawn and at dusk. Since the exact times will fluctuate depending on where you are and the time of year, a good rule of thumb is to consider the amount of light rather than the numbers on the clock.

Dawn is considered the period of first light to about half an hour after sunrise. Dusk is considered the period from about half an hour before sunset to full dark.

To plan trips, you could look up sunrise and sunset to pinpoint the peak times for collisions in various regions.

Human safety is top priority. Once you have ensured that everyone is safe and out of the way of traffic, you can think about the animal. While you may want to remove the carcass so other vehicles don’t hit it, it’s best to leave this up to the road maintenance contractors. Call them first or have your office make the call. Check DriveBC for contact information for your area.

While waiting for their arrival, we recommend positioning your vehicle in front of the animal with your hazard lights on. Other drivers will then steer around the scene

Court cases in BC have established that drivers have a duty not to cause hazards for other drivers. This means that you should not leave a crash scene knowing that there is an obstruction in the travel lanes. Take reasonable steps to warn other drivers of the hazard, such as using hazard lights or waving a flashlight.

You are not required to put an injured animal out of its misery. In fact, you need authorization. Call the BC Conservation Officer Service hotline at 1-877-952-7277 for guidance.

The standard strategies apply in both urban and rural settings. Slow down when you see animals. Watch for wildlife warning signs. And avoid travel during peak periods and through areas known to have a high density of wildlife.