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Cake day: July 4th, 2023

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  • You commented about swerving into the shoulder

    I specifically said to not swerve or jerk the wheel. I’m talking about a controlled movement a few feet to the side, safety permitting, to strike a glancing blow on the animal. Especially with a larger animal that is more likely to come through the windshield, this is important. You don’t need to hit any animal head on if you can safely avoid it. I’m talking about a slow, controlled movement while emergency braking, not a “twitch onto the shoulder” There’s nothing wrong with this, and I’d argue a glancing blow is better than hitting animals head on. A multitude of factors will play into “can you move over safely” such as available space, weather, hazards, etc. I don’t feel the instruction that you’re “supposed to hit them head on” is wise advice regardless. Maybe this was true before ABS, but steering while braking hard is something modern vehicles have little issue with.




  • Happens all the time to people who aren’t aware / don’t remember that you’re supposed to hit deer head on.

    This isn’t true. You shouldn’t jerk the wheel and swerve to avoid an animal, but if you can do it safely you absolutely should. Not only to avoid damage, but to prevent it coming through the windshield. I’ve seen this same idea in a few different comments here, but growing up in deer infested upstate NY, “hit it head on” is something I’ve never heard. Not from parents/relatives, not from driver’s ed, not from the internet until today. Keep it out of the ditch but absolutely avoid hitting the deer if you can. You don’t need to jerk the wheel to move 4-6 feet to the right, into the shoulder.