38 Follow us on @PrairieFarming Better Farming | November/December 2024 Tractors, Trucks & Growing Grain WHAT TO HIT WHEN YOU’RE DRIVING Some tips for travelling country roads. By Ron Settler The above headline goes against everything we have likely been taught about driving. We are taught to not hit things. However, in some emergency situations, it is better to hit something than to avoid it. Years ago, I heard of a person who swerved for a rabbit and had an accident which killed a passenger. Simple, well-intentioned reactions can, at times, cause fatal results. Driving in the country is wonderful but there are lots of hazards. Read on for a few tips and strategies to make your driving safer. Always have an exit I learned this from my driver-training instructor in high school. He said that whenever you are driving you should always have a different route planned if you are faced with an impending collision. If you are driving down the highway and a car (or semi, moose, combine – take your pick) pulls out in front of you, where will you go? As you drive, you scan the ditches for safe escape routes. The ditch can be your friend in times of emergency. A good, smooth ditch can be a lot safer than a collision. It’s possible to enter and exit a smooth ditch at highway speed without damage, but please don’t try it unless you have to. When entering a ditch at high speed, try not to turn sharply to leave the ditch, as you might overturn. Or perhaps you could squeeze over a bit to dodge the vehicle. You may have enough time to brake to avoid a collision. Always have a safe exit planned. What to hit This depends on what you are driving. If you are on a motorcycle, it’s probably best not to hit anything. If you are driving a semi, you don’t have as much to fear. It’s not worth risking your life at highway speed to swerve for small animals. Much of our auto body business in our area is caused by wildlife damage. We’ve had to tow in four vehicles for animal collisions in the last month. Deer, coyotes, birds, rabbits, moose – just about any animal has caused accidents. Generally, if the animal is smaller, such as a deer, you can hit it, and it will bounce off. Unfortunately, I have hit six deer with enough force to cause damage. It’s more important to keep control of the vehicle and hit an animal rather than to risk an accident by dodging it. What not to hit If the animal has long legs and is very heavy – like a moose or a horse – try to safely avoid it. Years ago, I saw a Ford Tempo, a small four-door car, hit a horse. The roof was gone; just the tops of the four Be aware of hazards while driving. This truck was damaged in an animal collision. Ron Settler photo
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