In parts of Pennsylvania, deer can be a driving hazard. They may enter the roadway unexpectedly, and they often travel in groups. When they try to cross the road, they may do so directly in front of your vehicle.
If you see a deer, how should you react? It’s important to consider this in advance because your first instinct may not always be correct. Many people attempt to swerve around the deer, but is this wise?
Never swerve into oncoming traffic
The biggest thing to remember is that you never want to Swerve into the oncoming traffic lanes just to avoid a deer. Even if you don’t see a car coming toward you, driving into those lanes is incredibly dangerous. Getting involved in an accident with another vehicle is vastly worse than simply hitting the deer, and it also endangers the people in the other vehicle. Plus, you would be at fault if you swerved into their lane and hit them, even if you had a reason to swerve.
This is why many safety experts say that you simply should not swerve at all. Even if you swerve off of the road, you risk striking a stationary object or losing control of your vehicle. The best option is simply to hit the brakes so that you can try to reduce your speed as much as possible before the impact. Braking may also help when combined with hitting your horn, in that it can scare the deer out of the road so that you avoid the impact entirely.
However, not all people are going to react properly to unforeseen hazards in the road. If someone else swerves into you and you get injured, you need to know how to seek financial compensation.
