This is a peak time of year for deer crashes, even in heavily populated
areas.
It's happened to almost every driver: a deer jumps right in front of your
car!
Put yourself in this driver's seat.
You don't realize it, but you're about to hit a deer.
Some video captured by special car cameras, demonstrate just how little
time you have to react.
Sean Kelly hit a deer last Monday night, while driving his brand new car
on U.S. 27 in Cold Spring.
"It took me by surprise totally. I didn't see it out of the corner of my
eyes or anything," Kelly said.
But, it could have been much worse.
"I always saw the deer warning signs, but never took it as a serious
hazard," said Kathy Hill, whose husband Greg was killed as their family
drove home from a soccer tournament in Topeka, Kansas.
A Jeep on the other side of the interstate hit a deer, catapulting it over
the median and through their windshield.
"We were heading 70-miles an hour. So, the speed of the deer, when it hit
our van, I can't estimate what it was, but it made the deer like a
missile," Hill said.
Kathy was hurt. A witness told her about her husband's final moments.
"He was turning his head to the side to see if everybody else was
okay. And that's when he died," said Hill.
Wildlife officers say deer accidents are on the rise.
"There are more deer now in North America than there have ever been. And
we're right in their habitat. We're living there, we're driving
there," said wildlife officer Todd Malmsbury.
Be alert for deer, especially between dusk and dawn.
If you spot a deer, slow down. Others are probably nearby.
And, experts say, if the deer is directly in your path, don't swerve.
On a driving simulator, you can see that swerving to avoid a deer might be
a fatal mistake.
Swerving might take you into the path of an oncoming car, or cause a
rollover.
Instead, hit your brakes.
"A lot of times it's better to hit the deer than it is to actually try to
avoid the deer," said Lt. John Eichkorn of the highway patrol
One solution is the "highway underpass."
New research shows that deer will actually cross under a busy highway,
when given the option.
But, wildlife underpasses can cost as much as a million dollars each.
Deer crashes happen year 'round.
But right now is prime time: the birthing season.
Also be careful in October and November, the mating season.
Contact Carol Williams
E-mail [email hidden]
<nice video at website>
http://www.wcpo.com/wcpo/localshows/healthyliving/1a85ac0.html