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== Steps ==
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== Steps ==
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=== Avoiding a Collision ===
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=== Avoiding a Collision ===
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#Heed the warning signs. Collisions occur most often in prime moose or deer
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#Heed the warning signs. Collisions occur most often in prime moose or deer habitats such as forested areas and waterways. If you see a deer or moose crossing sign, be extra alert and slow down. Moose and deer cross roads for a wide variety of reasons and at different times of the year. Often they want to get to another part of their habitat. Rutting season and hunting season also cause them to move. Stay alert.<ref>https://www.maine.gov/mdot/safety/wildlife/</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 1.jpg|center]]
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#Drive at a safe speed. Do not speed when you are driving through moose or deer country. You'll still arrive if you go more slowly and you'll have more time to avoid an animal if you spot it. Wildlife experts have recommended 90 kph/55 mph as a suitable speed for wildlife zones in good weather conditions, as it provides you with some reaction time to stop. Here are the things that suffer when you travel at too great a speed:[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 2.jpg|center]]
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#Drive at a safe speed. Do not speed when you are driving through moose or deer country. You'll still arrive if you go more slowly and you'll have more time to avoid an animal if you spot it. Wildlife experts have recommended 90 kph/55 mph as a suitable speed for wildlife zones in good weather conditions, as it provides you with some reaction time to stop. Here are the things that suffer when you travel at too great a speed:[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 2.jpg|center]]
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#*You can't stop quickly enough to avoid a collision.
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#*You can't stop quickly enough to avoid a collision.
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#Be especially wary at sunset and sunrise. Deer and moose seem to move most in the hours around sunset to midnight and again around dawn. These are also the hardest times for our eyes to adjust to the light because it's neither completely dark nor properly light, so we find it more difficult to see well. If you don't feel alert or can't see properly at these times, save your trip for another time.<ref>https://www.maine.gov/mdot/safety/wildlife/</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 5.jpg|center]]
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#Be especially wary at sunset and sunrise. Deer and moose seem to move most in the hours around sunset to midnight and again around dawn. These are also the hardest times for our eyes to adjust to the light because it's neither completely dark nor properly light, so we find it more difficult to see well. If you don't feel alert or can't see properly at these times, save your trip for another time.<ref>https://www.maine.gov/mdot/safety/wildlife/</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 5.jpg|center]]
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#*Be on the lookout -- if you see one deer or moose, there are likely to be more deer or moose nearby, even if you don't see them. If you see one creature, it's more likely that you'll run into more.
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#*Be on the lookout -- if you see one deer or moose, there are likely to be more deer or moose nearby, even if you don't see them. If you see one creature, it's more likely that you'll run into more.
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#Drive carefully at night. Use your high beams where possible and when there are no oncoming cars that you can startle with them; they will illuminate more of the area that you are
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#Drive carefully at night. Use your high beams where possible and when there are no oncoming cars that you can startle with them; they will illuminate more of the area that you are traveling through. Here are some other precautions to take when you're driving in the dark:[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 6.jpg|center]]
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#*Move into the centre lane if you are
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#*Move into the centre lane if you are traveling in a 3 lane road, or centre the car as much as possible if it is a 2 lane road.
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#*Make sure your windshield is clear and is not reflecting grime, preventing you from seeing clearly.
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#*Make sure your windshield is clear and is not reflecting grime, preventing you from seeing clearly.
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#*Drive below the speed limit, which has fuel economy benefits as well as safety benefits.
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#*Drive below the speed limit, which has fuel economy benefits as well as safety benefits.
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#Slow down when other cars are behaving differently. If you see flashing lights (hazard or headlights), hear tooting horns or see people waving madly about, ''slow down'' and be ready to stop! Of course, if a car stops suddenly ahead of you, you should also stop or at least slow right down. In these situations, the other cars may well have stopped because animals are already crossing the road ahead of you.[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 7.jpg|center]]
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#Slow down when other cars are behaving differently. If you see flashing lights (hazard or headlights), hear tooting horns or see people waving madly about, ''slow down'' and be ready to stop! Of course, if a car stops suddenly ahead of you, you should also stop or at least slow right down. In these situations, the other cars may well have stopped because animals are already crossing the road ahead of you.[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 7.jpg|center]]
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#Be alert -- even when you're approaching a town or a city. You've just driven into the outskirts of town, so everything is safe now, right? Wrong! Moose and deer wander into towns and city outskirts in search of food. They could be munching away on the median strip or bolting from someone's front garden. Still drive carefully. When you do come across a deer or a moose, don't expect them to react rationally.<ref>http://www.urbanhabitats.org/v07n01/moose_full.html</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 8.jpg|center]]
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#Be alert -- even when you're approaching a town or a city. You've just driven into the outskirts of town, so everything is safe now, right? Wrong! Moose and deer wander into towns and city outskirts in search of food. They could be munching away on the median strip or bolting from someone's front garden. Still drive carefully. When you do come across a deer or a moose, don't expect them to react rationally.<ref>http://www.urbanhabitats.org/v07n01/moose_full.html</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 8.jpg|center]]
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#*Blasting horns, flashing lights and a swerving metal machine are likely to terrify the animal
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#*Blasting horns, flashing lights, and a swerving metal machine are likely to terrify the animal witlessly and it will more than likely dart into your way rather than out of it. Bucks have been known to charge a stopped or moving cars of any size.<ref>https://ift.tt/2MRMa1V>
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#Know when ''not'' to swerve. If you suddenly have a deer before your car, brake firmly. Do ''not'' swerve and leave your lane; many accidents are not due to colliding with the deer but are the result of driving into another car or truck in the opposite lane while trying to avoid the animal. The best thing to do is drive defensively in the first place and go slowly enough that you won't collide with a moose and can brake in time.<ref>https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/deerandmoose</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 9.jpg|center]]
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#Know when ''not'' to swerve. If you suddenly have a deer before your car, brake firmly. Do ''not'' swerve and leave your lane; many accidents are not due to colliding with the deer but are the result of driving into another car or truck in the opposite lane while trying to avoid the animal. The best thing to do is drive defensively in the first place and go slowly enough that you won't collide with a moose and can brake in time.<ref>https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/deerandmoose</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 9.jpg|center]]
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#Honk your horn at the deer or moose in short bursts. Only do this if the deer is far enough ahead and there are no cars around that can be disoriented by the honking. This may scare the deer away, but there's no guarantee that it will make the deer run off the road. If you're quite close to the deer, you may want to avoid honking at it, because the deer may get confused and come closer to you.<ref>http://www.mooseworld.com/safe_viewing.htm</ref><ref>http://m.extension.illinois.edu/wildlife/health_deer.cfm</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 10.jpg|center]]
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#Honk your horn at the deer or moose in short bursts. Only do this if the deer is far enough ahead and there are no cars around that can be disoriented by the honking. This may scare the deer away, but there's no guarantee that it will make the deer run off the road. If you're quite close to the deer, you may want to avoid honking at it, because the deer may get confused and come closer to you.<ref>http://www.mooseworld.com/safe_viewing.htm</ref><ref>http://m.extension.illinois.edu/wildlife/health_deer.cfm</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 10.jpg|center]]
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#*Try to move to where the animal came from. This may take you away from it and the animal is more likely to keep moving forward rather than backtracking. This will only work if there is one animal. This will not work for deer.
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#*Try to move to where the animal came from. This may take you away from it and the animal is more likely to keep moving forward rather than backtracking. This will only work if there is one animal. This will not work for deer.
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#*Shift your line of eyesight to that spot as well - don't look at the animal or you'll steer that way.
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#*Shift your line of eyesight to that spot as well - don't look at the animal or you'll steer that way.
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#*Try to skim rather than fully impact the animal. Brake firmly, angle the car/truck and take your foot off the brake as you impact. The release of the brake will cause slight lift of the vehicle and this may be enough to stop the animal from rising into your windshield if your vehicle is tall enough.
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#*Try to skim rather than fully impact the animal. Brake firmly, angle the car/truck and take your foot off the brake as you impact. The release of the brake will cause a slight lift of the vehicle and this may be enough to stop the animal from rising into your windshield if your vehicle is tall enough.
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#*If you're heading into a collision with a moose, lean toward the door pillar. In the Mythbusters where they tested this, the center of the car was completely crushed in every impact but the triangle by the door pillar was intact in each accident. No guarantees are offered; you are far better off avoiding the collision.<ref>https://ift.tt/2QIxKSS>
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#*If you're heading into a collision with a moose, lean toward the door pillar. In the Mythbusters where they tested this, the center of the car was completely crushed in every impact but the triangle by the door pillar was intact in each accident. No guarantees are offered; you are far better off avoiding the collision.<ref>https://ift.tt/2QIxKSS>
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#Take care after a collision with a deer or moose. There are some important steps to take after assessing if everyone is relatively unharmed:<ref>https://www.statefarm.com/simple-insights/safety/6-immediate-steps-to-take-if-you-hit-a-deer-with-your-car</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 12.jpg|center]]
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#Take care after a collision with a deer or moose. There are some important steps to take after assessing if everyone is relatively unharmed:<ref>https://www.statefarm.com/simple-insights/safety/6-immediate-steps-to-take-if-you-hit-a-deer-with-your-car</ref>[[Image:Avoid a Moose or Deer Collision Step 12.jpg|center]]
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*Be extra aware if there is a fire. Deer and other animals will move quite a distance away from the fire and will cross roads far from their usual areas. Even if the fire is miles away, watch for the animals at any time to be leaving the fire areas.
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*Be extra aware if there is a fire. Deer and other animals will move quite a distance away from the fire and will cross roads far from their usual areas. Even if the fire is miles away, watch for the animals at any time to be leaving the fire areas.
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*Think ahead about how you would personally react in the situation of a deer or moose appearing before you. This pre-preparation mentally can make your reactions better and calmer.
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*Think ahead about how you would personally react in the situation of a deer or moose appearing before you. This pre-preparation mentally can make your reactions better and calmer.
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*Sometimes deer will freeze in car lights as you approach even if they are not directly in the roadway and then suddenly bolt into the roadway as you drive close by them. In some instances this will result in the deer hitting the side of the car. This is tough behaviour to encounter as slowing down could result in the deer being even more likely to hit your car.
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*Sometimes deer will freeze in car lights as you approach even if they are not directly in the roadway and then suddenly bolt into the roadway as you drive close by them. In some instances, this will result in the deer hitting the side of the car. This is tough behaviour to encounter as slowing down could result in the deer being even more likely to hit your car.
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*Get a motel room, pull over and rest or stay where you are and leave later if you feel that driving around deer/moose is too dangerous. It is better to arrive alive and late than to be injured or killed in the name of punctuality.
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*Get a motel room, pull over and rest or stay where you are and leave later if you feel that driving around deer/moose is too dangerous. It is better to arrive alive and late than to be injured or killed in the name of punctuality.
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*Another option is to quickly accelerate to get past the animal. It is difficult to choose this option fast enough to be effective because accelerating feels very counter-intuitive at this point. However, in the right circumstance, it can be your best option to avoid a collision.
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*Another option is to quickly accelerate to get past the animal. It is difficult to choose this option fast enough to be effective because accelerating feels very counter-intuitive at this point. However, in the right circumstance, it can be your best option to avoid a collision.
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