However, within a second, the "dog" turned and I could see it was not a dog, but a whitetailed deer. Then to make things worse, two or three more stepped out of the undergrowth and crossed the three foot wide shoulder of the round- BAM! I had slowed to almost a complete stop and was trying to slip by the deer as they grazed on the green grass growing on the edge of the road. I glanced in my side mirror and noticed the what looked like a deer staggering in the middle of the road behind me. It was almost dark. The doe had darted into the road and hit right on my drive side door and scraped the side of my new F-150. I knew it was not going to be good. It was just dark enough I could not see the damages on the side of my truck. I was ready to go home, and knew that the since I was the only one involved and no humans were injured, I did not need to call the highway patrol. It was up to my insurance company to pay the damages.
The next afternoon, I drove down to the insurance office. Those folks are so nice. They reassured me that I had been very lucky. The clerk at the front desk told me several horror stories about deer and automobiles. There was an elderly lady sitting in the office, with a walking cast on her foot. She over heard me whining about the deer and my truck and politely interrupted my conversation to tell how she had spent 5 days in the hospital as the result of a big buck jumping into her windshield, causing her to run into a ditch and totaled her Cadillac. She was going to physical therapy to get where she could walk without limping on her broken ankle.
SOME SUGGESTIONS ON WAYS TO AVOID DEER-VEHICLE COLLISIONS
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission recognizes the growing problems with deer-related accidents in our state. As both human and deer populations continue to grow, some of these accidents are unavoidable. Here are some steps that may help a motorist avoid many of these accidents.
Deer are most active near daylight and dusk and on dark, overcast or foggy nights. Motorists should reduce their speed during these times, especially in areas known to be frequented by deer.
Drive with headlights on high beam when possible. Watch for eyes reflecting in your lights especially at field edges or posted deer crossing areas. If you see deer, immediately reduce your speed, even though the deer may be a considerable distance from the road. Your headlights may cause them to panic and run at any time.
If you see a deer cross the road in front of you, don't assume that all is clear. Deer often travel in groups and one will often cross right behind the other.
Don't place your confidence in "deer whistles" or other "ultra-sonic" devices claiming to prevent deer collisions. We are aware of no scientific evidence that these devices are effective. (My parents swear by these)
Support legal and ethical hunting as a means of keeping deer numbers at levels where they can be enjoyed by all. Please, ya'll get your limit, and help your friends with get their limit too!
http://www.ncwildlife.com/pg06_CoexistingWildlife/pg6a.htm#5
