On Oct. 17 at 8:00 pm, officers investigated a collision where a tractor-trailer and a pick up truck struck a moose on Hwy. 17 May Township. Occupants were not injured but their vehicles were damaged.
Later that evening, at 8:15 pm, officers responded to a collision on Hwy. 17, Spanish River Township where a mini van struck a deer. The driver was not injured and the vehicle sustained minor damage.
On evening of Oct. 19 the driver of a pick up truck struck a deer on Hwy. 6, just south of Espanola. Again, the driver was not injured but the vehicle was damaged.
“We encounter many different species of wildlife in this area and drivers should be aware that the risk of striking a deer is no less than that of hitting a moose,” said S/Sgt. Mills of the Sudbury OPP detatchment. “The months of October, November and December are one of the peak times during the year when the risk of a collision with wildlife is highest as this is their mating and migration seasons. Drivers should exercise extreme caution when travelling at night or early morning; the time in which wildlife collisions are most likely to occur.”
To reduce their risk of striking a wild animal, drivers should always:
- Slow down at night as visibility is greatly reduced and so is your reaction time.
- Use high beam headlights when possible.
- Scan the road continuously from shoulder to shoulder.
- Drive cautiously through areas identified as high risk by wildlife crossing signs.
- ALWAYS slow down when passing wildlife; they may jump into the lane.
Keep braking after an animal is crossed as there are usually more.
- NEVER attempt extreme manoeuvres to avoid a collision.
"Don’t assume the animal will move out of your way; most freeze when in a vehicle’s headlights," said Mills.
