A Deer in Headlights
It is not uncommon in North Idaho to see deer on the side of the road, and sometimes, it can be frightening, especially if they begin to walk into the street.
As the fall breeding season approaches, the deer become more active and are next to the roads more often.
Several people in our LHS community have hit a deer or have come close to doing so.
Lakeland student Hunter Steward was on his way to Montana when a buck jumped out at him. He was lucky not to hit it, but it jumped over his car while he slammed on the brakes.
“It was really fast and scary,” Steward said.
Once the buck had gone away, Steward noticed several other deer. Usually, there are more than one.
While on patrol in Colorado, Rathdrum Police School Recourse Officer Greg Hudson hit a deer.
“It was the year 1997 on October 31st, Halloween night, at approximately 11:30 pm,” Hudson said.
The night was clear, with snow piled high on either side of the road, and the street surface was snow-packed.
“I was driving at 18 miles per hour, and the deer jumped in front of my car,” Hudson said. “I hit the brakes, but unfortunately, I knew I had struck the rear end of the deer with the front corner of my car.”
When Hudson got out of his patrol car, he looked around and noticed there was no deer, no blood, or anything. The only thing he found was his broken light, which he went and fixed before the end of his shift.
Deer are not the only animals that might jump out in front of a moving vehicle.
LHS teacher Allison Knoll had a scary encounter with a moose on her way home from Timberlake High School.
“It was the week before Thanksgiving, and it was dark,” she said. “I was in my Volkswagen Jetta. At first, I saw a mom moose, so I slowed down to about 40 miles per hour. Then, there was a 400-pound, nearly fully-grown baby moose that got in the way of my car. I hit it, and it rolled up over my hood, into the windshield, onto the top of the car, back into the windshield, and down the front of my car. The glass was shattered.”
This frightening experience left her gripping the wheel in shock. Luckily, she was not injured.
“Nurse Judy was the first one on scene and made sure I was okay,” said Knoll.
Now, Knoll is extra cautious when driving at night. She uses her brights whenever she can to improve her view and takes it slow.
When she does see an animal on the side of the road, she becomes very nervous and tense, which is something I do, too. Whenever I see an animal on the side of the road, I drive very slowly because I am afraid of hitting it.
Once, on my way to Lewiston, a deer jumped out in front of the car while my mom was driving. It totaled our car. The airbags came out, and the horn blared. The whole experience was extremely scary.
Because of this, I am always sure to look out for animals on the side of the road in case they decide to jump out.
With roads in many places, it may seem silly that animals have yet to learn exactly how to avoid oncoming traffic.
“I think they cross because they are trying to get to a certain destination, mate or find their herd,” said Steward.
Regardless of why, deer and other animals sometimes will jump into the middle of the street where there is oncoming traffic.
It is important to be cautious of skittish deer that may jump in front of oncoming vehicles.
