Oh, Deer!
Well, here is a sad update on my three-week old Toyota Prius V. On Thursday, December 6, 2012, driving home from visiting a friend, I hit a deer. It was 5:15 pm--full dark at this time of year. I was on the road where I live, maybe three minutes from my driveway. I was driving approximately 35 mph in a 45 mph zone (I don't like driving after dark, for good reason!), when I caught a glimpse of movement at the driver's side, in front of the car. I braked, hard, & ran into the second of two deer running, full-tilt, across the road. Although it felt like I just tapped the deer, my car sustained damage to the front bumper, fog lamps, headlamps, hood, &, probably, the driver's side fender. I'm sure repair cost will exceed my $500 deductible & will, probably, cost several thousand dollars. I'll be taking the car in for an estimate on Monday. On the good news side, I am fine; I barely felt the impact & the car is driveable. The deer didn't fare as well. In the past fifteen years that I've lived in this rural area, I've had four collisions with deer--two in which the deer ran into my car & two of which I ran into the deer. This most recent accident made me feel just awful--embarrassed & like a lousy driver, as well as very vulnerable on the road. I regained a bit of perspective, when I attended a neighborhood party & chatted with some of the folks there. One shared with me that she had picked up her car from repair after a deer collision &, three days later, hit another deer! She went back to the body shop & asked if they guaranteed their work. She showed the damage & said the dents had recurred. I guess it's important to always keep one's sense of humor! I still have my former car, so I will have a safe, familiar car to drive while the Prius is in the shop. I am thankful that the accident was minor! I am considering trying to locate a defensive driving class. I brake, instinctively, but would like to learn to swerve, as well.
Two updates--My car was in the shop for more than 3 weeks & repairs cost more than $7,000. About 3 weeks after I got my car back, my friend Duane was driving at the same location where I had the accident. He was using his low beams, because a car was approaching from the opposite direction, when a deer ran across the road from the right-hand side (mine came from the left). If there had been a second deer, as there was in my case, he said he felt sure he would have hit it. There was just no time to react. I had felt deficient as a driver, but, perhaps, it was, truly, an accident!
Oh, Deer!
Well, here is a sad update on my three-week old Toyota Prius V. On Thursday, December 6, 2012, driving home from visiting a friend, I hit a deer. It was 5:15 pm--full dark at this time of year. I was on the road where I live, maybe three minutes from my driveway. I was driving approximately 35 mph in a 45 mph zone (I don't like driving after dark, for good reason!), when I caught a glimpse of movement at the driver's side, in front of the car. I braked, hard, & ran into the second of two deer running, full-tilt, across the road. Although it felt like I just tapped the deer, my car sustained damage to the front bumper, fog lamps, headlamps, hood, &, probably, the driver's side fender. I'm sure repair cost will exceed my $500 deductible & will, probably, cost several thousand dollars. I'll be taking the car in for an estimate on Monday. On the good news side, I am fine; I barely felt the impact & the car is driveable. The deer didn't fare as well. In the past fifteen years that I've lived in this rural area, I've had four collisions with deer--two in which the deer ran into my car & two of which I ran into the deer. This most recent accident made me feel just awful--embarrassed & like a lousy driver, as well as very vulnerable on the road. I regained a bit of perspective, when I attended a neighborhood party & chatted with some of the folks there. One shared with me that she had picked up her car from repair after a deer collision &, three days later, hit another deer! She went back to the body shop & asked if they guaranteed their work. She showed the damage & said the dents had recurred. I guess it's important to always keep one's sense of humor! I still have my former car, so I will have a safe, familiar car to drive while the Prius is in the shop. I am thankful that the accident was minor! I am considering trying to locate a defensive driving class. I brake, instinctively, but would like to learn to swerve, as well.
Two updates--My car was in the shop for more than 3 weeks & repairs cost more than $7,000. About 3 weeks after I got my car back, my friend Duane was driving at the same location where I had the accident. He was using his low beams, because a car was approaching from the opposite direction, when a deer ran across the road from the right-hand side (mine came from the left). If there had been a second deer, as there was in my case, he said he felt sure he would have hit it. There was just no time to react. I had felt deficient as a driver, but, perhaps, it was, truly, an accident!