If you love dogs, chances are you have a heart for most animals. After I passed my road test five years ago and got my driver’s license, I vowed I’d do my best never to harm an animal while operating a car. For me, "I brake for animals" is more than a bumper sticker; it’s a way of life.
Steering clear of wayward animals can be a challenge. There are many animals, large and small, domestic and wild – from pigeons to possums, cats to coyotes, deer to dogs – lurking by the roadside. Especially on the country roads that city dwellers use so often during summer weekends. What, I asked the experts, could one do to avoid injuring or killing any of these creatures?
"Generally speaking, the five principles of defensive driving will enable you to avoid accidents with animals," said Bernard Friese of B. Friese Defensive Driving School in Manhattan, who has taught novice drivers for more than 30 years.
Those five principles, Friese reminded me, are: Keep Your Eyes Moving, Get the Big Picture, Aim High in Steering, Leave Yourself an Out, and Make Sure They See You.
The first three are key to avoiding a critter that may be waiting by the side of the road, ready to jump into your path.
"Aiming high in steering directs the focus of your eyes higher," Friese said. "It enables you to look further down the road in order to identify problems earlier, allowing you enough time to deal with them safely."
"The most common statement made after an accident is, ’He came out of nowhere!’" Friese said, adding that the second most common statement is, "I saw him, but I didn’t expect him to do what he did."
The instructor recalled the time he was driving late at night toward an intersection in a densely wooded area of upstate New York.
"I became aware of a flash of movement off to my right," Friese said. "It was a big buck streaking toward the same intersection. I beeped my horn to get the buck’s attention, and lifted my foot off the gas, allowing me to slow down just enough so that he could reach the intersection before me."
In other words, Friese successfully applied the last two defensive driving principles: Leave Yourself an Out and Make Sure They See You.
It helps to be aware of wildlife patterns, said naturalist Hope Ryden, author of several books on wildlife, including God’s Dog: A Celebration of the North American Coyote (The Lyons Press).
"Woodchucks and deer love to hang out by grassy shoulders," Ryden said, "so if you see well-mowed areas by the roadside, drive especially carefully."
Deer don’t travel alone, she added, so even if you manage to avoid hitting one, keep your speed slow, because chances are there’s another coming up.
Carcasses of animals who’ve already become roadkill attract scavenging crows, so be on the lookout for them too.
Ryden cautioned that if you’re serious about doing your part to preserve wildlife, you’ll avoid traveling at dawn or dusk.
"Those are the two times of day when ’crepuscular’ animals – deer, rabbits, coyotes, foxes – are on the move, so visibility is low," she explained.
After dark is prime time for nocturnal animals such as raccoons, skunks, possums, foxes, porcupines, and cats.
At night, use your high-beams to extend your field of vision, but remember to switch off the brights if you see an oncoming car.
If you can’t avoid driving at low-visibility times, drive slower than the speed limit. That way, you’ll have an easier time braking and (if necessary) swerving to avoid hitting an animal that might cross your path.
