It’s important for all drivers to try and drive as safely as possible to avoid accidents. However, animal collisions can be harder to avoid, due to the unpredictability of animals. As such, it’s useful to know what steps you can take to improve your chances of avoiding an accident involving them…
How-to Avoid Animal Collisions: Helpful Techniques
Keep alert
One crucial part of avoiding animal collisions is keeping alert as you drive. Most animals which can cause serious accidents are larger ones like deer. These animals can also suddenly run out onto the road without warning. Therefore, you need to keep an eye out so you can react accordingly.
This means you should minimize any distractions, such as those from your phone. Also, keep an eye out for any animal crossings signs on the road. These will indicate that you’re entering an area with a higher-than-normal risk of animals jumping out on the road.
Use your high beams
Most animal collisions are due to an animal unexpectedly appearing on the road. Still, what if there’s an animal already on the road? When you see an animal ahead of you, you may not know how to get it to move. This can be quite frustrating, especially if you’re on a narrow road.
In these situations, it can be useful to use your car’s high beams. Not only can these light up darker roads, but they can also scare animals off the road. If the animal still doesn’t move, you can also try honking your horn. Just make sure the animal doesn’t become aggressive!
Consider the time
There are certain times when animal collisions can become more common. Most animals that’ll you see on the road tend to feed at dusk and dawn. This means you’re more likely to see them around these times, so limiting your driving at these hours can help you avoid any accidents.
Collisions also tend to see an increase during the October to December range each year. This is because these months are both peak hunting and mating seasons. As such, you can expect to see more animal activity than you usually would when driving.