The Charlotte Observer has an article on the young SC fellow who let Bambi kill him:
A teenager from Kershaw, S.C., died Saturday when he swerved his car to avoid hitting a deer and struck a utility pole.
On back-to-back mornings last week, deer ran into major Charlotte thoroughfares - East Independence Boulevard last Monday, then South Tryon Street on Tuesday - and collided with cars.
Unlike the Kershaw crash, there were no serious injuries in the Charlotte collisions.
But police and wildlife experts say deer and motorists are colliding with increasing frequency, causing 17 deaths and 3,453 injuries in North Carolina over the last three years.
Authorities have two pieces of advice for motorists, when it comes to deer:
Slow down in posted deer crossing area and heavily wooded locations.
If a deer collision is imminent, don't try swerving out of the way. Hitting the deer is better than the alternatives - going off the road and possibly hitting a tree or other deadly barrier - as happened in Saturday's accident - or going into oncoming traffic and risking a head-on crash.
State officials say studies have shown that the majority of deer-vehicle collisions happen from October to December, mostly between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. And, they add, deer populations are growing in urban areas.
By God, the very same exact advice I gave just a day or so ago. It's probably something that should be taught in driving classes.
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From my high school days, two classmates dead and another a paraplegic because they swerved to avoid deer.
For better or worse (and it's a toss-up) moose are darker, with light-colored legs, and nearly impossible to see even when you're sitting still & they walk through your headlight beams. You're going to hit the one that's in front of you. The downside is that Mr. Moose weighs between 1,000 and 1,400 pounds, and will total your car in short order. Sometimes the driver dies, too.
But swerving is always the worst choice. (sorry - didn't mean to go on so long)
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