You can’t stop quickly enough to avoid a collision. The impact of a car/truck is far greater the faster you travel. Your ability to take evasive action is massively reduced and you’re more likely to resort to swerving instead of braking and gently responding.
Watch both sides of the road; there is some evidence that drivers tend to watch the side of the road next to the passenger seat more than their own side, making a false assumption that only one side is a problem. Scan both sides! Drivers are responsible for scanning the area ahead of them as if they are a catcher on a baseball field scanning the left and right field. When driving at night, it is necessary to look for things that could dart into the road, such as animals, children, or cars reversing from driveways. So scanning from the proximity of the left mirror across to the right mirror and back again is an important part of previewing the road and making sure that you are aware of obstacles that could jump out.
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.
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. Make sure your windshield is clear and is not reflecting grime, preventing you from seeing clearly. Drive below the speed limit, which has fuel economy benefits as well as safety benefits. Scan the sides of the road for animals’ reflective eyes, often visible at a great distance at night. Sometimes this is the only visible part of the animal until it is directly in your path.
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. [6] X Research source
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. Shift your line of eyesight to that spot as well - don’t look at the animal or you’ll steer that way. 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. 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.
Pull over if possible. Put your hazard lights on and if you can, put the headlights onto the animal or as close as possible. Check passengers for injuries and treat accordingly. Even if there are no injuries, shock will probably occur fairly quickly. Try to reassure one another and if it is cold, put on warmer clothing immediately as shock or fear increases the inability to ward off cold. If it is winter, stay in the car for warmth. Avoid going near the animal; it may kick or gore you from fear and pain. If it blocks the road, use your hazard lights and headlights and keep your car stationary. Only attempt to move the animal if you are 100% certain that it is dead. Use road flares or triangles if you have them. Call the police immediately or flag down help. Remember that most insurance companies won’t pay for the damages you suffer from hitting a deer or a moose if you don’t file a police report.
