Premier Driving Academy staff member discusses car/deer collisions in the following KY3 story:
What should I do when I encounter a deer or any animal in the roadway?
The Premier Driving Academy staff suggests the following:
- Let off of the accelerator and begin braking, many times the animal will move off of the roadway before you get to it.
- Do not swerve or attempt to steer around the animal, animals are unpredictable and may possibly move in the direction that you steer.
- Keep in mind that animals, in particular deer, move in groups so watch for other animals.
Premier Driving Academy vehicle involved in a deer strike.
Most of the time we think of deer crossing the roadways at dawn and dusk during the fall season when deer are most active. As you can see in this video, these incidents can occur any day of the year at any time of the day. This non-injury crash occurred on June 7 at 12:40 pm in the city limits of Republic. Notice the Premier Driving Academy instructor, Gene, and his student driver were able to quickly move the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway and avoid approaching traffic from the rear. Caution: graphic video involving a deer.
As you can see in the video, the deer was not seen until the very last second and ran out of the ditch into the roadway. Just like in this instance, many times there is little we can do to avoid a deer strike.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, the Premier Driving Academy staff suggests the following:
- Pull to the side or shoulder of the roadway as soon as it is safe to do so.
- Activate your emergency flashers and remain in your vehicle until it is safe to exit.
- Call 911 and report your location, alert emergency services if there are injuries, request a tow truck if your vehicle is not drivable, and obtain an accident report if your insurance company requires one, most do not.
- Stay clear of the deer and advise emergency services if the deer is alive and injured or if it needs to be humanely put down.
- Return to your vehicle, lock the doors, and wait for help to arrive.
