Or anything else for that matter. Wildlife activity is on the rise, as is human activity. Lots of different things have folks on the go. Holidays, shopping, wildlife watching, and a variety of other endeavors can put animals in front of a vehicle at a highway near you! I to have been the victim of a roadside collision with wildlife...and pets. They all had just one lane to go, but I beat them to it apparently. Nevertheless, I hope they rest in peace and not in pieces...that was wrong.
How can you, the avid reader avoid wildlife? Well, you can just not drive, at all, ever. You could drive really slow, but I have hit deer at less than 5 miles per hour - but fortunately this only scares the deer AND you. Since Tyrrell County has only about 50 miles of primary highway and hundreds of miles of secondary, country roads, encounters with wildlife are not only likely, but certain. Everything from frogs to rabbits, bear, and especially deer.
From roughly October until February deer are in their mating (dating) season...bucks generally only get one girlfriend per year, and will stop at nothing (except your bumper) to find her. When a female deer comes in to estrus, every buck in town is in hot pursuit of her...they are as ready to breed as she is...so anyway, all of the bucks will give chase. And like any other self-respecting lady - she plays "hard to get." Bucks will chase her through swamps, fields, rivers, yards, and unfortunately highways. If you are travelling on any road during the aforementioned months and you happen to spot a doe on the go, proceed with caution, because there is a high likelihood that something is in hot pursuit. Always drive slow when driving at night, especially around dusk and dawn...be very weary around ditch crossings that intersect your artery of travel...these corridors are natural highways for deer.
So let's pretend you have had a smear with a deer...what next?
Stop the vehicle (if it isn't stopped already) on the shoulder of the road if possible, but anywhere out of the highway will do just fine.
Check for personal and passenger injuries, and apply first aid up to your level of training - until the EMT's arrive...they will not show up unless you dial 911, though!
Take a picture of your vehicle and make sure to include closeups with animal hair. If possible take a picture of the deer (but not with the deer).
Call the highway patrol and let them do a report.
You might have to call a wrecker, but let the highway patrol decide for you.
Do not attempt to dispatch the deer, which is illegal.
Do not load the deer into your truk and drive off, either. In Alabama, where I grew up, I have seen many people do this very thing, only to go home, dress the animal, eat it, and in some cases have it taxidermied.
Call your insurance company...set up a meeting to discuss the police report and share all of the pictures you took with your agent. Most insurace agencies are good to work with, some are not.
Get your car fixed.
Drive slow from here on out, but have your insurace company on speed dial.
If you follow these instructions, you can just breathe easy until the next "go-round".
Bears are a tremendous problem, as they are large and are the same color as dark pavement and moonless nights. I have only seen one bear that had been struck by a car, but neither car nor bear were spared in the rendezvous. I have seen lots of bears piddling roadside at prior roadkill, though - so be careful!
Roads are dangerous places for animals, especially possums, since they apparently live there. Nevertheless, roads impede natural animal migrations (such as elk), but also block natural travel corridors that interfere with predator - prey interaction...U.S. 64 has under-road bear crossings to prevent collisions. South Florida utilizes man-made "land bridges" to keep the Florida Panther safe when encountering a road. These multi-million dollar projects save lots of animals and money (for insurance agencies and purchasers). Drive slow and enjoy the drive.
Enjoy the day...
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