[CherokeeVision]

Around here they tend to be active in the evenings (dusk) and for some reason seem to congregate by the road side at times. Seems the vegetation close to the road is yummier. I've seen up to 9 deer in my backyard on occasion. I've spotted a few running out of our backyard as we pulled in the driveway. At any rate once the leaves begin to turn I'm more vilagant for them.

It is warmer there. Man made materials absorb more heat and radiate that heat back out more slowly. The warmth also helps plant growth so yes, the vegetation close to the road probably is yummier. Or at least stays greener longer into fall and probably turns green sooner in the spring too.
In the fall grackles all move from the countryside to the city around here. They roost in trees or on power lines around parking lots which are warmer than fields. The birds like that warmth from the asphalt and car engines.

 

[MPE426HEMI]

No deer in my area, only moose. He probably wouldn’t have survived that impact with 800 lbs or more hitting that windshield. Big problem in my area. Many people have been killed or seriously injured. A police officer who patrolled the highway was blaming it on people driving too fast, until he hit one and then admitted he never seen it until it was too late. He now understands. Headlights won’t matter much if that thing jumps out of the woods or out of the ditch in front of you. I see many people driving these days with those aftermarket HID kits, and LED bars all the while blinding everyone else in their path. The factory lights are properly aimed and dispersed, those eBay kits spread the light everywhere. You almost need your sunglasses on at night to be able to see past them and god forbid if it’s raining!

 

[dana44]

I think the point is on how well the Charger held up to the impact and the outcome could've been the same even if he was travelling at 55mph..... It doesn't matter I have seen deer dart across a road in broad daylight let alone during the evening.

Way back in 1980 I hit a deer while driving a 1962 Cadillac Hearse. I was doing about 50mph, going around a curve and the deer jumped over a guardrail with a dropoff and into the road in front of me. I was able to slam on the brakes and was going about 10mph when he contacted my right fender near the headlight so very minor damage occurred, a round dent about the size of your fist. In my opinion, deer are about the stupidest animals on roads, playing chicken with cars is almost required of them, and you never see them before impact.

 

[codypet]

Anyone going to mention how great it was for the officer to walk away from a crash with ANYTHING going 114mph?

 

[GasAxe]

Anyone going to mention how great it was for the officer to walk away from a crash with ANYTHING going 114mph?

See posts #20, 35, 37, and 40.

 

[Judas Shuttlesworth]

Looks like someone's having 'Venison Surprise' for dinner...

 

[Doug D]

Way back in 1980 I hit a deer while driving a 1962 Cadillac Hearse. I was doing about 50mph, going around a curve and the deer jumped over a guardrail with a dropoff and into the road in front of me. I was able to slam on the brakes and was going about 10mph when he contacted my right fender near the headlight so very minor damage occurred, a round dent about the size of your fist. In my opinion, deer are about the stupidest animals on roads, playing chicken with cars is almost required of them, and you never see them before impact.

Deer have no depth perception or so I have been told.

And those deer whistles don't work. Had them on my '86 GTS and the dang deer still jumped out in front of me. If anything it seemed to attract them. Haven't bothered with then since.

 

[BEEAH]

I think the brush guard had a lot to do with keeping the deer from directly contacting the windshield buy deflecting it straight or upwards instead of the deer rolling up the hood.

 

[hemirunner[banned]]

He can be thankful it wasn't a moose.

That's what I was just going to say.Up here we have no deer,just Moose,about a 800 pound weight difference.

 

[T_690]

All good! I appreciate the info. Lighting technology is changing fast... so fast it is hard to keep up. Some of the stuff at SEMA was insane!

Mike

Some stuff is not allowed in the USA.

Some headlights are receiving bad rating from IIHS due to glare towards incoming car.

 

[Bajanbuoy]

Some stuff is not allowed in the USA.

Some headlights are receiving bad rating from IIHS due to glare towards incoming car.

Up here, we he have Foot-long LED Light Bars, affectionately called Moose Lights, lol... They are brighter than 10,000 angry Suns, and people still hit Moose... I hit a deer one night on I-85 going to Atlanta a few years ago in my Caliber... I was running about 70 in a 65. I saw the dumb-deer clear and race down the hill onto a 8-lane highway,... and it happened in a millisecond. I had just enough time to tap the break and counter-steer. I barely grazed it and it tore the headlight, left fender and everything under it, off the car. Lighting, Speed, Type of Animals, Reaction Time, are all JUST variables... It'll happen when it happens and all the shoulda-woulda-coulda's won't change the past. Drive a vehicle with good crash ratings, be vigilant and pay your insurance!!! And hope for the best, lol.

 

[CherokeeVision]

So I'm driving home this evening after stopping at the store. Taking a fairly new road (45 mph limit) that is alongside a wooded hike and bike trail.
Sure enough as I'm taking a curve in the dark I see two deer not 6 feet from the road.
I'm glad they didn't spook easy. They just stood there.
Not sure how a Chevy Sonic would hold up hitting one at 45 mph.
"Uh, boss? You know that company car?"

 

[UN4GTBL]

So I'm driving home this evening after stopping at the store. Taking a fairly new road (45 mph limit) that is alongside a wooded hike and bike trail.
Sure enough as I'm taking a curve in the dark I see two deer not 6 feet from the road.
I'm glad they didn't spook easy. They just stood there.
Not sure how a Chevy Sonic would hold up hitting one at 45 mph.
"Uh, boss? You know that company car?"

And our guys complained when they got down sized from Ford F-150s/Edges to Fusions. The Sonic must be good on gas at least.

 

[CherokeeVision]

The Sonic must be good on gas at least.

Average about 35 mpg. Straight highway driving I've seen as high as 46 mpg.
When he closed the local office I was glad he offered use of the car because 50 miles each way in my XJ would be expensive.

 

[Doug D]

Average about 35 mpg. Straight highway driving I've seen as high as 46 mpg.
When he closed the local office I was glad he offered use of the car because 50 miles each way in my XJ would be expensive.

Before I began telecommuting on a daily basis my daily commute was 58 miles one way driving my 2006 Ram 1500 (Hemi) that averaged 17.5 mpg. Not fun when fuel was ~$3/gallon.

 

[xjgary]

No deer in my area, only moose. He probably wouldn’t have survived that impact with 800 lbs or more hitting that windshield. Big problem in my area. Many people have been killed or seriously injured. A police officer who patrolled the highway was blaming it on people driving too fast, until he hit one and then admitted he never seen it until it was too late. He now understands. Headlights won’t matter much if that thing jumps out of the woods or out of the ditch in front of you. I see many people driving these days with those aftermarket HID kits, and LED bars all the while blinding everyone else in their path. The factory lights are properly aimed and dispersed, those eBay kits spread the light everywhere. You almost need your sunglasses on at night to be able to see past them and god forbid if it’s raining!

In 1972 I was up near Banff Canada in a Fiat 128 coming back from a hot spring driving 60 mph when a huge Wapiti Elk jumped right over the hood of the car.
In California I keep encountering people driving with high beams and illegally bright aux lights . it practically blinds me.

 

[Doug D]

Average about 35 mpg. Straight highway driving I've seen as high as 46 mpg.
When he closed the local office I was glad he offered use of the car because 50 miles each way in my XJ would be expensive.

Before I began telecommuting on a daily basis my daily commute was 58 miles one way driving my 2006 Ram 1500 (Hemi) that averaged 17.5 mpg. Not fun when fuel was ~$3/gallon.

 

[MPE426HEMI]

In 1972 I was up near Banff Canada in a Fiat 128 coming back from a hot spring driving 60 mph when a huge Wapiti Elk jumped right over the hood of the car.
In California I keep encountering people driving with high beams and illegally bright aux lights . it practically blinds me.

Yes, the aux lights seem to be an epidemic on the roads now. Most people have no clue as to if they are allowed to have them turned on, on the public roads or not. The worst part is, people buying them (although they are advertised as off road use only) seem to think because you can buy them, you can put them all over the vehicle wherever they want with no idea if they are aimed or what effect they are having on other drivers. They'll blind you if they are behind you also, especially if they are on a jacked up monster truck.

 

[multimopes]

First off, and I didn't see it mentioned, I don't think the officer HAD his high beams on at all! They make mistakes too! Second, I recall that the term for going too fast for safe lighting at night is "over driving your headlights". Third, I know for a fact that the dear whistles do in fact work; however, they do not work until a vehicle exceeds 30 to 35 MPH; but, nothing short of a heatseeking missile will stop a dear who has been spooked or a buck who is pursuing a doe! And last but not least. I believe it was comedian Ron White who said, "Deer are so stupid that if you put headlights on a bullet they would jump right in front of it"!

 

[55Plaza]

He's lucky the hood popped open, friends have hit deer and they've come through the windshield.

Halogen lights may be better to any halogen lamp from 10 years ago, but I have found them to be as good as aftermarket lights.
I swapped out my sealed beams on my Dart & D150 for Bosch halogen, then when I bought my Dakota I was happy to see standard halogen lights ... but not for long, those too got replaced with aftermarket lights. I suffered through poor lighting on my Caravans, and Durango thus far. Today I installed Phillips H11s (Dave Zatz recommended Daniel Stern Lighting), I'll check them this weekend and next week I'll replace my 9005 hi beams with Philips 9011s (again DSL recommendation. .