This came in from NFU Mutual (which is proving to be a good choice when trying to insure a teenager).
Motorists are being urged to watch out for deer on the road as we enter the Christmas period. New data from rural insurer NFU Mutual shows that winter is the worst time of year for collisions with deer and that in recent years the number of accidents has been increasing.
A third of NFU Mutual agents polled said that the number of accidents has increased since 2000 and estimates from action group, The Deer Initiative, put the number of deer collisions at between 30,000 and 50,000 a year. NFU Mutual has identified the UK's top wildlife road accident blackspots as well as the top three wild animals you are likely to hit: deer, badgers and pheasants.
Costly Collisions
NFU Mutual found deer are by far the most expensive wild animal to hit as high-speed accidents with deer can cause very severe damage which can sometimes result in cars being 'written off'.
Accident blackspots
The vast majority of claims for animal collisions are on country roads where street lighting is poorer and wildlife is more likely to stray, especially during the winter months. To help drivers avoid these types of accidents, NFU Mutual has identified some of the top accident blackspots according to claims logged.
Tim Price from NFU Mutual commented:
"Over the next few weeks, large numbers of deer are likely to be crossing country roads and with dark nights and poor weather making driving difficult we would urge drivers to be extra careful on the roads with wildlife about and spare a thought for poor Rudolph over the festive period.
Table 1: UK Animal accident blackspots (see attached if you are unable to view the table below):
Region
Location
Type of animal
Scotland
A75 between Dumfries and Annan
A689 near Brampton
A7 south of Longtown
Deer
Scotland
A96, Elgin
Deer
Scotland
A80 (Glasgow to Stirling)
Deer
North West
Tatton Park (Mere Road), Knutsford, Cheshire
Deer
West Midlands
Richards Castle (heading towards Leominster), Ludlow, Shropshire
Badgers
West Midlands
A52 and A523, Leek, Staffordshire
Badgers
West Midlands
Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Staffordshire
Deer
West Midlands
Fosse Way (Bowshot Crossroads to Halford), Warwickshire
Deer
Northern Ireland
Baronscourt and Newtownstewart, County Tyrone
Badger
East Midlands
A52 Donnington & Billingborough, Lincolnshire
Deer
East Midlands
A151 and A1 near Bourne, Lincolnshire
A15 North and South of Bourne, Lincolnshire
B roads around Grimsthorpe, Lincolnshire
Deer
East Anglia
B1145 Bawsey, Kings Lynn, Norfolk
Deer
South West
A377 Exeter Road
A3072, Crediton
Badgers and deer
South West
Holford Common at the Quantocks, Bridgwater, Somerset
Deer
Top Tips to avoid collisions (taken from www.deercollisions.co.uk)
* Do take note of deer warning signs, by driving with caution at or below the posted speed limit. Such signs really are positioned only where animal crossings are likely.
* Peaks in deer related traffic collisions occur October through December, followed by May. Highest-risk periods are from sunset to midnight followed by the hours shortly before and after sunrise.
* Be aware that further deer may well cross after the ones you have noticed.
* After dark, do use full-beams when there is no opposing traffic. The headlight beam will illuminate the eyes of deer on or near a roadway and provide greater driver reaction time. BUT, when a deer or other animal is noted on the road, dim your headlights as animals startled by the beam may 'freeze' rather than leaving the road.
* Report any deer-vehicle collisions to the police (who should be able to contact the local person best placed to assist with an injured deer at the roadside)
* Finally, remember to .. WATCH OUT FOR WILDLIFE
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Can I add the road through Thetford Forest to the list, based on recent experience!
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NFU Mutual found deer are by far the most expensive wild animal to hit as high-speed accidents with deer can cause very severe damage which can sometimes result in cars being 'written off'.
Not to mention the driver & front seat passenger losing their lives.
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Not surprising they're the worse animal to hit - could it be because they're the largest?
It's worse in the country - no really? Funny that, you don't get many herds of deer in the cities then.
It's worse at night - maybe something to do with it being dark so they can't be seen easily.
Use main beam - see above.
But just remember, if you hit one and it isn't dead, the RSPA won't be interested, the police will be too busy elsewhere, the vet's won't want to turn out 'cos there's no-one to pay their bill, which leaves it down to people like me that are available 24/7 to dispatch them. I only have to fight tooth and nail to retain a firearm to offer this service against a public perception of ever increasing gun crime. But recent DEFRA rules state that carcasses shouldn't be left or buried, so they have to be taken away by a registered outfit for incineration (at a cost). The hunt would normally come and collect large road kill for free, but since Mr Blair and his chums upset them they're not so keen.
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"but since Mr Blair and his chums upset them they're not so keen."
Wonder if this is also the reason for the large number of dead foxes on the roadsides here in the E Midlands? Both son and daughter have hit one recently and caused considerable damage to front bumpers (not to mention the fox) Luckily, neither of them had time to try and swerve out of the way of the foxes (which I think most of us would do instinctively rather than in sympathy with the fox) otherwise more serious accident could have happened. Friend also hit a deer on the A1 recently and although his car was repaired he said he thought it would be a write-off the damage was so bad- they are, as mentioned above, big and heavy.
--
Phil
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A badger, more invisible than a fox, but bigger and heavier, and just as likely to cross the road in a generally untutored manner, can make quite a big dent in yr front panel too.
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I must add that there are a large number of deer to the immediate south of Epsom, Surrey, specifically around the A24 towards Ashtead in the area surrounding Wells Road [ just below Epsom General Hospital ] and also the Chalk Lane area. Never actually seen one from the A24 itself, but I have seen several in the local roads either side very near to the A24.
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also on Epsom Downs, Muggy - these delightful but so vulnerable creatures often leap across from the RAC Club over traffic busy Langley Vale Road to get to the downs and relative safety
EH
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And if you hit a badger don't be tempted to see if it's OK. They have lots of teeth and very strong jaws; loss of arm a real possibility.
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I was driving along Interstate 4 west of Orlando about 3 weeks ago. I saw something in the 2nd lane and moved across to the 3rd lane to avoid it. As I drove past I realised it was a turtle - and quite a large one. Wonder if it ever made it across - the interstate is 4 lanes wide in each direction.
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A year ago here in SW France I was heading out at about 8.30 pm when, 150 yards from my house, I came across a herd (?) of ten wild boar - three adults, seven teenagers - trotting along in indian file beside the road. Not having a camera in the car, I just reversed back the way I came and shut the drive gates just in case.
French amateur 'hunting' being the scarcely-regulated bloodbath that it is (I grew up in Somerset and understand hunting by the way), I guess they were only a short-term traffic hazard as they've all been eaten by now...
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I guess they were only a short-term traffic hazard as they've all been eaten by now...
Warning!
This item is not to everyone's taste.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6207553.stm
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don't know about deer, years ago i hit a roe with a mk2 golf at about 50mph. deer was knocked 40yds along road. damage to golf? i broken headlamp. a pheasant i hit later on in life with same car resulted in smashed grille, a lot more expensive! jag.
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Have hit a fox before in a 406, I had a choice, go in the ditch to the left, hit the oncoming truck on the right or bye bye mr fox.
Pushed a fog light of its mounts but apart from the stink & mess it sprayed up the drivers side of the car it didnt do any damage.
Jetwashed the car straight away ( it really really smelt bad ) & then clipped the foglight back in correctly.
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don't know about deer, years ago i hit a roe >>
Do you mean a roe deer, or was it cod's roe?
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dave n, in reply to your fishy question it was a roe deer as opposed to a red deer. jag.
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You can usually guess when deers might be around, you can always expect this sort of thing in any rural area. Something else to watch out for on these roads are people walking their horses. If you drive being able to stop within the space you can see to be clear then there is not much else you can do really.
A dear got a bit close to me last week, he ran straight out of a bush and was very fast. Other than doing 5mph I don't think it's possible for me to be 100% certain that I will always miss them.
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Remember there are extra ones out tonight.
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But at least one of them will have its fog light on ;-)
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Hit a deer on a motorbike then!
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There was an incident a few weeks back on the A35 in Dorset between Christchurch and Highcliffe when a motorist was killed. The car in front of the victim hit a deer which was catapulted over the top of that car and crashed through the windscreen of his following behind. He was only visiting the area with his family, poor chap.
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The car in front of the victim hit a deer which was catapulted over the top of that car and crashed through the windscreen of his following behind.
A really freak accident and an amazing escape for the rest of the family.
tinyurl.com/yc3p5q
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"It was hit by a Saab and sliced in two."
A Saab sliced a deer in two? That is really quite amazing. Can a car really slice a deer in two?
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I daresay a 'real' Saab could cope with an elk - I have my doubts about GM ones though.
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I am surprised rabbits don't figure in the original list.
i would have thought that Muntjac, a miniature deer, were a common road hazard. They are about the size of a medium sized dog.
Probably the main hazard occurs when someone swerves to avoid a cute little fluffy animal, and drives into a lamp post, or another vehicle.
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& why have collisions with deer been increasing? Because the national deer population has rocketed. So not a surprise, really. It always astonishes me that more poaching doesn?t happen; people will pay good money for venison which is available for free.
Dave N. I bet you always have a freezer full of venison? the main reason most people so ?selflessly? operate a deer disposal service ? been there, done that. If they eventually manage to take away your firearm, may I suggest one of Mr Cash?s finest so-called ?humane? killers. No licence needed. Gralloch it straight away to feed the foxes, and take it home to hang.
Badgers, on the other hand. Well, killing badgers is illegal, with a very strong likelihood of a prison sentence. But badgers are somewhat unpopular with farmers owing to their propensity for spreading TB, and are often shot when they ?shouldn?t? be. The only problem is, what to do with the body to dispose of the evidence. Easy, pop it on the road, and put some big 4x4 tyre marks on it (motoring link), and it becomes road kill. And we haven?t even d
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Anybody know what happened to those small animal repellent things you clipped on front bumper & would make a high pitched noise humans couldn't hear but animals could & didn't like so they run away?
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Anybody know what happened to those small animal repellent things you clipped on front bumper & would make a high pitched noise humans couldn't hear but animals could & didn't like so they run away?
You mean deer whistles? They are still available. Some people are certain that they work, while other people have their doubts. I spoke to someone from the Deer Commission, and he was among the doubters.
And Mapmaker is absolutely right. Deer numbers rising, and poaching has virtually died out. In these parts, deer used to stick to the hills, and if a stag started hanging around human habitations, he'd disappear pretty quickly. But today, they wonder around fearlessly, and no one touches them. The old poachers are all gone. Probably a sign of the growing prosperity of our country.
For more on that subject, see www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=47...5 :-)
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Probably a sign of the growing prosperity of our country. :-)
Either that, or a sign of the the general decline of community spirit and training in useful practical skills in our country
For more on that subject, see www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=47...5
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One of the salesmen at my last company wrote off his 2 day old Mondeo by hitting a deer in the New Forest. They put the photo of the car up on the noticeboard as a warning - it was almost unrecognisable. He was okay thankfully, apart from a few cuts and bruises.
I couldn't believe what a mess it made of the car. It looked like he'd hit an oncoming car head on.
Cheers
DP
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>>And Mapmaker is absolutely right. Deer numbers rising, and poaching has virtually died out.
There's a bloke in Kent who's supposed to be 'getting' me a Roe deer. I turned down his pheasants, as I can generally get legal pheasants more cheaply than poached ones...
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There's a bloke in Kent who's supposed to be 'getting' me a Roe deer.
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An alternative for the menu?
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6222619.stm
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>> Anybody know what happened to those small animal repellent things youclipped on front bumper & would make a high pitched noise humans couldn't hear but animals could & didn't like so they run away?
Interesting re the above, the local general store in my village has just installed a similar device to - and I kid you not - deter the local hoodies from gathering around the shop these dark winter evenings. Apparently, adults generally lose the upper range of hearing, so only the young scrotes are affected. i asked one of them the other evening whether he could hear it & was it a deterrent etc - his answer: "Whaat? - so apparently didn't bother them.
Shame, I thought I'd spotted a gap in the market for anti- vandal/car thief accessories.
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The ones I see years ago worked through the passing airflow flowing over them.
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Interestingly, SAABs were indeed designed to be elk proof. This is because the MD of SAAB was driving his car and was killed in such a collision. The roof pillars of the 900 were beefed up as a direct result so they say.
Not sure about GM Saabs either, though in fairness, the 9-5 did well in NCAP tests before everyone got wise about how to pass them without necessarily making their cars safer in real world crashes.
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What speed would your Saab need to be going to split a stag (and they are big beasties in the New Forest) in two?
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