What if a deer suddenly crosses in front of your car?

Hi, everyone. Last week, a college student from my community died in a car accident in trying to avoid a deer. I don't know exact details but I think she was driving on an area with 40 mph limit sign and deer warning sign posted. The article said she swerved onto trees as she was trying to avoid hitting a deer.


It was especially tragic because she was such a bright, young woman who was gonna be an asset in this world. I imagined myself in her situation. What choice would I have made? Would I hit the deer straight-on instead of avoiding? Would hitting the deer decrease the chance of dying dramatically?


I realize there is a remote chance anyone will face this situation in their life when driving. But I still would like to hear what is the most appropriate action to take in such situations.


What is the safest way to react when a deer suddenly pops up in front of your car on a 40mph limit road?


Thanks in advance for any insights.What if a deer suddenly crosses in front of your car?
i am so sorry about your friend. it is possible she may have paniced as such an occurance is not an everyday thing. had she hit the deer, she still may have died if the deer was a large one as there would have been substantial damage. braking hard may have helped but then again it depends on the road conditions. The situation has many outcomes.What if a deer suddenly crosses in front of your car?
Very sad that a promising young person is gone. How unfortunate that she steered so sharply she went off the road. Trees are VERY STURDY. They are unforgiving when struck by a car. Don't do it.


My answer to deer encounters is,


Hit the brakes hard, press the horn.


Deer seem unable to compensate for the speed and direction of an auto. But try to chase one down on foot and they leave you in the dust. I have found that the horn will usually spook them away from you. Especially at night, they try to run where the headlights are shining because they can see better there, but that puts them directly in front of your car.


HIT THE BRAKES, HIT THE HORN AND DO NOT SWERVE MORE THAN JUST A LITTLE BIT.





That is a maneuver one has to practice for or it is too easy to oversteer and crash.
I live in an area with a high deer population, but thankfully, have not had any accidents or close calls... the thing to do if a deer, or any other animal for that matter, jumps out in front of you is to hit the brakes hard and hit them straight on... you will most certainly wreck your vehicle, but... there is much less chance of having a rollover, leaving the road or swerving into oncoming traffic. We also have moose here, and for them the same idea goes except you are supposed to duck- they are so tall that they are basically a tank on stilts. They can come right through your windshield at you. Deer are much smaller and lighter, there is a greater chance they will just bounce off your vehicle and you have less chance of being injured if you brake properly. Oh... and another thing... it's a good idea to slow down and watch for animals on the side of the road...especially where the signs are posted... even with all that, accidents do happen...you can't always control the outcome in situations like that.
I would say avoid if you are going 30 mph or slower. Anything above that, I've been told by a state trooper to hit the deer. This will avoid you being in a ditch or hitting anyone else. Drive safe!
Let go the gas, do not apply hard braking or steer free, hold the line, the animal may has the time to move out of sight. If not hit it straight on, it is better to save our life than the stupid animal!
Lots of variables but in that case..lots of trees..40 mph..deer... also depends on vehicle for me too.. i would just hit it, i know alot of people that swerve when a rabbit or whatever darts out but i dont.. i know its a livin creature but its not worth wrecking my pickup and/or killing someone for a rabbit..same with deer..
The largest cause of death in this type of accident is when the driver tries to avoid the deer and winds up flipped over and in the trees. There is a small possibility that the deer will go through your windsheid at high speeds over 50MPH. But you are far more likely to die by loosing control of your vehicle attempting to avoid the deer. This is a huge problem on I-10 between Laffayette, LA and Baton Rouge, LA I drive this route almost daily and have witness numerous accidents of this type. Check out NHTSA website for the exact numbers, but the summary says this almost word for word.
I would hit the deer directly on. If you try to avoid it, you will likely lose control of your vehicle. Also, if you damage your vehicle while avoiding the deer, that falls under your collision on your insurance--at fault. If you hit the deer it is considered not at fault. WE live in an area heavily populated with deer and moose. I would hit a deer head on...I would probably swerve to avoid the moose.. LOL!
It depends on the situation, but if it's a choice I have to make between hitting a deer and hitting a (car/tree/wall/fence/ditch/etc.), the deer better say its prayers, becuae I'm going to cut it in half.
each situation calls for some fast thinking, factors such as type of car, road conditions, passengers, traffic behind you, and how far, opposing traffic, etc., must be taken into consideration...





----%26gt; floor it, and obliterate the rodent!!!!
well the safest way would be of course breaking real hard first


then try to get on the other lanes if you can


if not then dont over steer into the woods


just turn a little


or u can just hit the deek on the side of the car rather than dead on straight


just turn alittle and stay on the shoulder
i was taught swerve for an animal no mater whaT ,,,because of what you are talking about...but i do no that when i see a squirl or rabbit...i dont want to hit it so i swirve to miss it ..but i gotta say the bigger the animal the more we will react ..in alaska a mosse will crush a car..and a deer will just break a windshield and dent the hood ...either way you should hit it straight on and not swirve ...i hope this helps ,but its only an opionion...mmmkay
A deer is not worth a human life. Try to stop, but be willing to take out the deer if necessary. My wife complains to me about driving down the middle of certain roads in this area. But there are cornfields coming to the edge of the roads and I want the extra warning if one steps out. and don't want it to be right in front of me.
This is how I look at it... I've had family who've hit deers with their cars (I live in Vermont, so you get a lot of them) and the most damage that was caused is the front or corner of their car was busted. But, only in the the spot where it was hit. And both were in cars saying ';Thank god it wasn't a huge deer because then it could have came into my windshild';


SO, If I deer ever jumps out at me, I'm sorry to say, but I would probably hit it. I would rather it come in my windshield then me dogging and hitting a tree headon. The areas where the deer likes to jump out are just surrounding by trees!


If I hit one, I don't think I would feel that guilty because hunting deer in my county is HUGE. Everyone talks about it at school. If I told them I hit a deer they'd prob say, ';How many points did it have?'; instead of how my car was XP





BUTTTTT, if it is a moose, that is another story HAHA XD
if you can, buy a Saab, they design their car to have a stronger A pillar because in sweden hitting deer was a common accident and driving in the snow make it easier to hit deer.





if you cannot then , try breaking hard but not locking the wheels (if there is no ABS in your car) and start pray that the deer didnt go to your wind screen (if you dont drive saab) coz it could go straight to you and you end up kissing the deer in the mouth.





what ever happend dont swerved into a tree coz if you survive, you end up trying to convince other that there are a deer in the street at that time and it is more hurtful if other (e.g. police) thinking in their mind ';yeah right!! at this hours!';


and hitting the deer is totally different than hitting the tree, deer will give ways and tree don't, even if it is they probbably end up in your roof anyway and crushing you below. oh when you about to hit the deer even after you break your best, duck coz the next place the deer would likely visit is your wind screen!!





i am sorry about your friend.
you should adjust your speed first if you see a sign like that, and be aware while driving, then if a deer would get in front of your car and if you decide you want to avoid it brake first then steer towards the backside of the deer. and pray... lol


the problem with large animals is that if you hit them straight on the chance exists that you get them true the windshield and on to you or your passenger. and if they have deerhorn, well good luck with that.
This is one of the reasons why speed kills.





People need to be driving at a velocity such that if something unexpected happens in front of you ... another motorist, a pedestrian, a wild animal, you have room to maneuver, and are not going so fast that you will probably die.





There are areas where deer are prevalent, and there are road signs warning of the risk of them coming onto the highway ... we ought to take it a bit slower through those areas.





A tree is a harder target than a deer.





If you hit the deer, it probably demolish the whole front end of car, smash windshiedl, antlers could go through your body ... probably fatal for both driver and deer.





But if you slam on brakes before hitting the deer, the damage much less, you may both survive.





Also slamming on the brakes gives the deer a chance to wander out of the way.





But after you have started to hit the deer, release the brakes, that way the deer is less likely to come all the way thru your windshield.





In other words, foot off gas, maximum brakeing, emergency brake, hazard lights. As the crash begins, release the brakes,





Depending on how much time you have, also turn on your hazard lights ... reason ... cars behind you will see you brake brake, not be braking ... the hazard lighs warn that there is a serious serious situation, and they should give you extra space ...it also alerts cars coming other way, that can't see your brake ligtes.





You should only swerve if you are a good enough driver to remain in control of the vehilce.





Another action you might consider is turning off the ignition, to use the engine, as an additional brake ... after this your engine will probably need to be rebuilt or replaced ... very expensive, but maybe not as much as having the whole front end of the car replaced.
FIRST SORRY ABOUT THIS INCIDENT...............








';If an encounter with a deer is inevitable, then you should hit the brakes up until the very last second of impact; suddenly releasing the brakes will send the deer propelling into the roadway rather than into your windshield.';





';If you spot a deer in the road, slow down immediately and blow your horn with one long blast to frighten it away.';





';Most motorist deaths and injuries occur when drivers swerve to avoid hitting the deer and strike a fixed object, such as a tree or another vehicle. It may seem powerless, but simply applying your brakes while you're buckled up, gripping the steering wheel with both hands, and coming to a controlled stop (if possible) can actually help minimize damage and injuries.';





';Be especially attentive from sunset to midnight and during the hours shortly before and after sunrise. These are the highest risk times for deer-vehicle collisions.';





';Don't assume there's only one deer crossing the road -- they usually travel in groups.';





';When you encounter deer along the roadside, turn on your emergency lights to let other motorists know about the potential danger.';
Everyone's first gut reaction is to swerve too miss the deer. But the correct thing to do is hit the brakes and hold the car straight on. While chances are, the deer will not move, the likely hood of the deer coming into the car with you are slim. The chances of you walking away from a head on with a tree are even slimmer.





I used to be on a volunteer fire department as a firefighter/emt out in a small country town where this is very common, and I lost count of how many people where serverely injuried or died trying to miss a deer. I hope this helps with your question.