Accidents between deer and vehicles are a tragedy for both- even worse with a moose. Today’s vehicles are engineered to crush in a collision so that the vehicle absorbs energy and passes less of the impact onto passengers. Cars and trucks built with plastic bumpers and collapsable front ends help save lives, yet have little benefit to animals crossing a road. The number of deer killed on the highway is staggering toll. The Institute for Highway Safety estimates that 200 people die annually with about four billion in property damage.
Magnified Times 10
The events you are about to see represent one of the most dangerous animal strikes imaginable. Not only do moose grow to 1,000 pounds, but they stand taller than an average deer. Whereas, the front end of a car strikes the body of a deer, a car collision with a moose often causes the body of the unfortunate animal to fall into the windshield. Imagine half a ton hitting your windshield at highway speeds.
Be Alert
As you watch this video, you will notice a number of cars parked along the highway, presumably watching the moose. Whenever, vehicles are stopped on both sides of a highway, a driver should be alerted to the presence of danger. This vehicle chose to drive through harm’s way and was very fortunate that no one was killed. Not so much for the moose.