I do alot of trauma surgery coverage in my practice and I know alot of trauma surgeons from all over the United States. One of my buddies from Maine was telling me the other day that they are having a terrible summer so far with fatalities caused by cars striking moose on both the major highways and backroads of Maine. So, if you plan to be vacationing in Maine, northern New Hampshire, northern Vermont or Canada, here are some tips from my
buddy the experienced trauma surgeon in Maine to avoid striking and being killed by a moose.
1. Be particularly alert for moose that might be on the move at dawn and especially dusk. Moose graze at this time.
2. Realize that, unlike deer, the eyes of a moose will not reflect the beams of car headlights. So, lack of seeing those spooky eyes from the grassy stretch off the side of the road does not mean that moose are not there.
3. Realize that, unlike deer, moose are black in color and very difficult to pick out in silhouette from a darkening forest.
3. Realize that, unlike deer, moose are huge animals weighing up to 2500 lbs and are much taller.
4. Avoid if at all possible any contact with a moose by your car. Most fatalities occur because the car “takes out the legs of the moose”. This causes the moose to flip up onto the hood and slide across into the front seat or land on the hood, crushing it. This invariably results in horrific injuries to the car occupants.
5. Reduce your speed while traveling in heavily populated moose areas. This will allow you perhaps the few milliseconds you might need to avoid a collision.
6. If a collision if unavoidable, try to clip either the head or hindquarters of the moose with the edge of your bumper. This will no doubt spin your car and also perhaps spin the moose, hopefully away from your hood or roof.
Copyright 2006 Insidesurgery.com
Very good advice! When I moved to Vermont, I got two pieces of driving advice from the locals: never swerve to avoid a deer, and always swerve to avoid a moose. Often the swerve off the road from a deer is what causes the most severe injuries, but what a moose will do to your car (expecially my sweet little compact Toyota!) is far, far worse.
I hadn’t known that bit about their eyes not being reflective, though–that’s interesting, do you know why? Is it just because they’re so dark?
The eyes of moose ARE reflective, just like deer. However, the eyes of a deer are typically three to four feet off the ground, right in the path of your headlights, whereas the eyes of a moose are typically seven to eight feet off the ground, above the level of your headlights. And moose move slower than deer, so you don’t get the winking effect from a head that is constantly in motion.
We just moved to the northern tip of Newfoundland, Canada – where the moose population is incredible. Especially at night-time, I think using your cruise control (at very slow speeds) allows you to concentrate at a higher level … Also, completely dimming the interior car lights makes visibility more clear – with less interior distraction.