Don’t swerve!

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Dave Rickards
  • 91st Missile Wing Chief of Safety
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  It is 1:30 a.m., and you are out on the back roads of the missile complex in the dead of night. The night is clear, the roads are dry, and you feel alert and rested despite your demanding schedule. All you have to do is make it another 5 miles to the closest Missile Alert Facility, and you can relax for a while ... maybe get some midnight chow if the chef is still awake.

You let your mind drift a bit, thinking about the warmth of the dorm rooms and the late night television shows, when suddenly a pair of eyes glow in the dark, and a mottled tan shape with hooves and antlers runs in front of your headlights.

Instinctively, you swerve to avoid a collision, not realizing that jerking the steering wheel at 60 miles per hour might not be such a good idea. As your passenger side tires depart the road, they dig in too much, and you feel yourself pulling to the right. You try to correct, but it only makes matters worse. The vehicle begins to roll, and your world turns upside down. Darkness sets in. When you come to, you realize you swerved to miss a deer, despite the safety briefing your Flight Security Controller gave you before you left.

This story is based on recent events. Many of the vehicle accidents in the Air Force have been caused by Airmen attempting to avoid wildlife. The best course of action, one that's been proven to save human lives over time, is to stay the course: don't swerve to hit or miss wildlife. Apply brakes if you can do so safely, but don't put yourself and your passengers in more danger by swerving into a more dangerous situation.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are about 1.5 million car accidents with deer each year that result in $1 billion in vehicle damage, about 150 human fatalities, and over 10,000 personal injuries. The actual numbers are probably higher because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's figures for deer accidents rely on inconsistent state reporting. There is no standard reporting of deer accidents in the country, and what qualifies as a reportable deer accident varies significantly between states. In addition, many collisions with deer aren't reported to police.

If you live in an area with a large deer population, consider including these principles from the Insurance Information Institute, Inc .into your driver's education and certification plans, as well as local condition briefings to newcomers and commander's calls, etc.:

· Be especially attentive from sunset to midnight and during the hours shortly before and after sunrise. These are the highest risk times for deer-vehicle collisions.

· Drive with caution when moving through deer-crossing zones, in areas known to have a large deer population, and in areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forestland.

· Deer seldom run alone. If you see one deer, others may be nearby.

· When driving at night, use high beam headlights when there is no oncoming traffic. The high beams will better illuminate the eyes of deer on or near the roadway.

· Brake firmly when you notice a deer in or near your path, but stay in your lane.

· Always wear your seat belt. Most people injured in car/deer crashes were not wearing their seat belt.

· If your vehicle strikes a deer, do not touch the animal. A frightened and wounded deer can hurt you or further injure itself. The best procedure is to get your car off the road, if possible, and call the police.