You are driving down a familiar road; you’ve run this way a hundred times. You know each bump and curve. You know what time you will get done and back to the terminal. You are comfortable and awake!! Then as you round a curve, out in your lane is a large deer (or any other kind of animal you might see)!!! How do you deal with this? Your life and the safety of the families in the cars around you depend on the correct answer and action.

Did you think, MISS THE DEER??

 It is human nature to “think” this, but as a professional driver it is the worst action possible in this scenario. Why? If you make an aggressive and sudden maneuver in a commercial truck, you could lose control and run off the road, overturn or strike other cars and trucks around you. Not worth the risk for a deer, wouldn’t you agree? What can you do as a professional driver to be prepared for a deer in the road:
• Be aware of where deer may be and their habits and actions – Watch for deer warning signs; they are NOT randomly placed! Increase your focus and scan attention when traveling on roads near heavy woods, farm fields and crops, creeks and ravines. Be familiar with time lines of hunting seasons; it will make them more active. Think like a hunter – even if you don’t hunt. If you can anticipate where the deer may be or will be, you can be prepared to deal with them being in the road.
• SLOW DOWN - I know, you’ve read this in these articles before…. It is still one of the best safety habits and will continue to be. If you know deer will be on the move, if you know where they may be crossing or living, if you know they come out at night and you know you are driving in thick woods….
SLOW DOWN and watch the side ditches and shoulders for them… If you are running at reduced speed, if you do see a deer, it is perfectly acceptable to brake hard as long as you stay in your lane. If the hard brake doesn’t allow you to not strike the deer, it will at least reduce the damage to the equipment when you do hit it.
• DON’T SWERVE - HIT THE DEER. This is VERY hard for any driver to do, but it is the only way to not create a more serious accident by trying to miss the deer. The first time it happens it WILL scare you speechless, since your built-in defense mechanism is screaming in your brain to avoid the object in the road.
• High beams - many drivers believe bright lights will force the deer off the road and back to the woods. Ever hear of the saying, “Like a deer in the headlights?” I can’t say for sure, but I bet I know where the saying came from!!! High beams will most likely only cause the deer to freeze, and with what little brain capacity they have, try to figure out why that noise is coming from those bright lights?? High beams will increase your ability to see, but usually will not cause a deer to move, only freeze them in place!
Deer and animal strikes are an unfortunate part of this business. You can protect yourself, the families we share the road with and save equipment repair cost by being prepared for deer being in the road.
Our goal is to help you come home safely.

The driving environment professional drivers face each day is constantly changing and brings many different challenges. One of these is animals in the roadway. Types of animals can range from elk and buffalo in the western states to deer and small animals in the rest of the country.
Deer strikes are the most common when examining animalrelated accidents. In most parts of the nation, deer population is increasing and we are seeing an upward trend in the number of deer/truck accidents. What can we do to support our drivers during this fall/winter season when deer are more active? As with most accident prevention information it really comes down to awareness and focus. Let’s examine some common prevention tips to prevent and minimize the cost of deer/ truck accidents you can share with your drivers during daily conversations.
• Be aware of where the deer may be. The first method is signs posted warning of high deer traffic. Increased focus is a MUST in these areas, but drivers must also become familiar with the areas where deer may reside: heavy woods near the roadway, farm fields and crops, creeks and ravines.
• Become familiar with how deer move and act, especially during the fall. Hunting season brings increased deer movement. It helps to think like a hunter, even if you don’t hunt. If you can anticipate where the deer are and where they may be moving to, you can be prepared to respond to this risk.
• SLOW DOWN - a common crash prevention theme in many cases, but coupled with increased awareness of the season and where the deer may be, is at the core of preventing deer crashes and minimizing damages.
DON’T SWERVE - HIT THE DEER. This is a hard thing to do for ANY driver. Our self-defense mechanism as human beings causes us to try to not hit things in our way. Swerving to miss a deer in the road, especially in a large truck, can have serious negative results. These include loss of control and run off the road crashes, overturns, and striking other vehicles during a sudden panic movement. Damage to the truck is likely, but it is better to HIT the deer than try to avoid it with a panic avoidance maneuver.
• DON’T use high beam headlights to try and force the deer off the shoulder or roadway and back into the woods. Ever hear the saying, “Like a deer in the headlights?” High beams will increase the drivers’ vision, but once spotted they will blind the deer. They will stop where they are and be more likely NOT to move and try to figure out what is going on!!!
• Deer Alerts - the pros and cons of these “whistle” devices have been discussed in the transportation industry for years. Most feel they do not work but many drivers and motor carriers use them and feel they help avoid some deer / truck crashes. If you use them in your fleet, don’t rely on them totally. Awareness and preparation is still a must.
• Deer bumpers - the increase of deer/truck crashes has resulted in more and more trucks being equipped with heavy front protection structures. The goal is to minimize damage to the truck if a deer strike occurs, which they do. In summary, deer and animal strikes on the public highways are a part of this business. Talk to your drivers and remind them of seasonal deer activity, to slow down in deer-prone areas, maintain control of the vehicle and not make any sudden movements to miss a deer.
Getting your drivers home safely is the goal. Even though a truck may be damaged, the outcome will be much better than swerving to miss the animal in the roadway.

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