Finished thoughts - Deer ...

Being back in the states has offered to me a new set of dangers on the road. Far away is looking out for koalas in Lismore, or wallabies coming back from Canberra. I am now back in the familiar territory of looking for the white in the eye of a deer or the white tip of a does tail. I have hit a deer in the past. I was only going 25 mph so the damage was negligible. The deer got up and walked away. More damage was done to my passenger when I threw my arm across his chest instinctually to protect him.

But with personal and second-hand experience colliding with deer there are two options of action. Hit or veer. It has long been the policy of insurance companies that if you hit a deer they will compensate your damages, but if you hit a tree or guardrail in an attempt to miss a deer - they will not. So there is the first conflict - kill or injury the animal or incur the costs of rebuilding your vehicle. This got me thinking that neither of the first two options really appeals to me.

Is it possible to remain on the road but avoid the deer. In this I am thinking of one lane back roads. Its well known that a "deer in the headlights" will not run off the road as they become easily paralized by fear. I would think that honking the horn or flashing the lights might work to scare the animal off the road - but I have never heard of anyone even trying the method let alone being successful.

Even with every tactic I could try - would I? It is just as common that human beings become paralized by fear. Would I go blank and forget all of this forethought or would I just move too slowly to be effective? If there is no point in learning and attempting these tactics then what is the point of thinking them up ....