I've just bought the motorcycle with the intent to save a little money on gas on my commute to work. I've transported plenty of motorcyclists to Trauma Centers, so I'm quite aware of the dangers of colliding with deer after darkness falls and I won't be riding my bike cross-country at night unless there are no large critters to run into.
But on my way to work today, at about 1830 hours with the sun still relatively high above the horizon, a situation similar to the one pictured above happened right in front of my car...
I jammed on the brakes and missed him by no more than 10 feet. He ran from an area where I've seen lots of deer before, but only after sunset.
When I bought the Guzzi I thought I had figured out how to mitigate that danger.
Now my confidence is shaken.
Added before posting:
In the Midwest it's deer. Elsewhere, other wildlife is just as dangerous.
7 comments:
I had a similar thing happen to me in Australia with a Kangaroo. I actually hit it full bound taking out my four hour old radiator, grill and both headlights (It hit stretched out just below the hood line) the kicker was there had been no kangaroos seen in that area for more than twenty years! And no one has seen one since, the whole area is family owned farm land of about a hundred square miles. Of course I get ribbed about decimating the local 'Roo population often.
Mitigation is easy. Slow down. :) There are three curves near my house which often have deer in them. If I'm on the bike I slow down considerably and search the tree line for things to avoid. I've found it easier to spot deer while on the bike. I think it's just due to hyper awareness
Wow, Cliffy... thanks for your input!
I was in your country in 1969 and went on a horseback riding outing. We spooked up a couple big red "Roos" on our ride and I could not believe how big they were and how much distance they cover with each leap. Amazing animals.
Of course you're right, TJ, but slowing down won't completely resolve the problem...
Last year one of my flight nurses had a doe run into THE SIDE of her SUV! She had made the decision to cross the road and nothing was gonna deter her. A doe jumping out of the brush alongside the road at exactly the wrong time is gonna be impossible to avoid. But you're prescribing good medicine...
If it's gonna happen it would be far better to be goin' 30 mph than 55, for sure.
Does anyone know if those scare deer off products for your cars actually work? They're supposed to emit a noise that the deer can hear...
Other than that, got nothing to tell you since I don't ride and never have.
Oh, beyond be careful, that is.
cjh
A friend was coming home from eating out one night last year, CJ, and came upon a Cadillac stopped alongside the road. When he asked what happened and if he could help they told him they had hit a deer. They then pointed out the new "deer whistles" they had installed on their bumper THAT AFTERNOON.
I guess you could assume they don't work.
GB -
Kinda what I figured but it was a thought.
cjh
Close call GB. Glad you survived.
Coming home from work early one morning from Cripple Creek and popped over a hill and there stood about 75 elk, on both sides of the road and right in the middle.
Can you say, both feet on the brakes? To this day, don't know how we managed to miss them all. Shook for a week.
Post a Comment