Beware of Bambi!

Deadlier Than Sharks: The Science of Deer in the Headlights

Posted by Ross Pomeroy April 8, 2014
RealClearScience

Spring: a beautiful time of year. When temperatures creep above freezing, rains refresh the landscape, and flowers start to spurt from the ground, puncturing the drab uncovered as the snows of winter recede. Wildlife also starts to emerge. For drivers, that means headaches.

As animals take to the skies and pastures, many sidetracked by the primordial urges of mating, they also inadvertently make their ways onto roadways, waterways, train tracks, and runways, and thus into the path of oncoming vehicles. Estimates suggest that billions of vertebrates are killed each year in these collisions.

Deer are the primary concern. Up to 1.5 million cars collide with deer annually in the United States, killing more than 200 Americans, causing approximately 10,000 injuries, and resulting in almost a billion dollars worth of damages.

By those numbers, deer are roughly two hundred times deadlier than sharks (though the comparison isn't exactly apples to apples).

(Continued here.)