A little science on motorcyclists hitting animals (mostly deer)

[milleralexk]

How many of you ATTGATT guys are really planning on picking up an unexpected passenger who needs a helmet?

[abnslr]

Originally Posted by wb57

This is what blows me away about the study:

----> Helmets were worn by only 32% of drivers and 12% of passengers.

natural de-selection

[jeepinbanditrider]

Originally Posted by gbmaz

That is a good philosophy for sex with strangers. ATGATT, not just for riding bikes.

How many of you ATTGATT guys are really planning on picking up an unexpected passenger who needs a helmet?

It's happened. Just not very often and by the looks of the girl I was glad I didn't have a helmet with me

[little foot]

Originally Posted by milleralexk

How many of you ATTGATT guys are really planning on picking up an unexpected passenger who needs a helmet?

[ragtoplvr]

I was riding near dusk and a car was coming the other way. The lights of the car appeared to blink. I got on the brakes HARD as a deer carcass slid across maybe 50 feet in front of me. I missed it easily. I never saw the deer before it hit the car. The lights blinking thing had happened before, it must have lodged in my subconscious. That time also had a favorable outcome.. This time taking action could have saved me, we never know what would happen, only what did happen. I was pretty close.

Rod

[Cpt. Ron]

I wonder how bear strikes come out in the analysis.....

[Barnone]

Originally Posted by Cpt. Ron

I wonder how bear strikes come out in the analysis.....

Feral hogs hits at night are a big problem here in Southwest Florida. Almost impossible to see them at night.

[crazyjeeper]

Originally Posted by wb57

This is what blows me away about the study:

----> Helmets were worn by only 32% of drivers and 12% of passengers.

I'm surprised it is that high. I doubt even 10% of the other riders I see have helmets on, and maybe 1% have additional gear.

[PeterW]

Kangaroo's - which admitted not many of you will get to hit.

I decided on a 'best chance of surviving' strategy a few years ago, I'd had quite a few roos run into the side of me with only bruises and the damned things are unavoidable around here.

Pre-planned strategy.

1) Aim for where I want the bike to be after the crash i.e. don't try and avoid the bastard, just aim for a point where I'm not going to do secondary damage after the impact.
2) Brake like crazy until just before the impact.
3) Be damned sure the brakes aren't on at impact.

It happened, collected a roo head on , the strategy worked. (Week old bike as well)

Big thud, bike got launched but I ended up still in my lane further up the road when I landed it again.
(Hey I'm upright. O.K. heart, you can start beating again now)
Used the rear brake to slow the bike since I assumed front end damage.

Parked, looked at the bike, big splashes of mud and hair all over the right side, hair in the right brake rotor and over the bash plate, blood on the lower suspension knuckle.
The gods have been kind, may as well finish my ride. Rode fairly gently for the next ten minutes in case there was damage, after that - no worries.

I'm guessing impact speed was <40kph, but with the shock, who knows.

So, all I can say is "Worked for me, your mileage may vary". Yes there was luck, but I suspect that's near optimal - statistically

Pete

[mjydrafter]

I came really close to hitting one about a year ago (deer). It was sheer luck that I didn't, and I was close enough to hear his hooves on the pavement, over the KLR and through my helmet.

It was in town, a bit earlier in the fall, and early in the am (pre-sunrise). Luckily he literally jumped out of nowhere and my non-reaction probably saved me from over reacting.

[Aussijussi]

Originally Posted by PeterW

Kangaroo's - which admitted not many of you will get to hit.

I decided on a 'best chance of surviving' strategy a few years ago, I'd had quite a few roos run into the side of me with only bruises and the damned things are unavoidable around here.

Pre-planned strategy.

1) Aim for where I want the bike to be after the crash i.e. don't try and avoid the bastard, just aim for a point where I'm not going to do secondary damage after the impact.
2) Brake like crazy until just before the impact.
3) Be damned sure the brakes aren't on at impact.

It happened, collected a roo head on , the strategy worked. (Week old bike as well)

Big thud, bike got launched but I ended up still in my lane further up the road when I landed it again.
(Hey I'm upright. O.K. heart, you can start beating again now)
Used the rear brake to slow the bike since I assumed front end damage.

Parked, looked at the bike, big splashes of mud and hair all over the right side, hair in the right brake rotor and over the bash plate, blood on the lower suspension knuckle.
The gods have been kind, may as well finish my ride. Rode fairly gently for the next ten minutes in case there was damage, after that - no worries.

I'm guessing impact speed was <40kph, but with the shock, who knows.

So, all I can say is "Worked for me, your mileage may vary". Yes there was luck, but I suspect that's near optimal - statistically

Pete

Few year's back i met a bloke in Canberra that had a similar incident to yours. He told me he was on Tharwa rd, and according to him, as the road straightened out, he was going for 200, when a roo jumped in front of him and he hit it straight on, he wasn't sure of the speed he was doing, flat out anyway. He thought he was done for. The impact was hard enough to bend the forks, he never dropped the bike though. I used to ride in the area and the roos there are in plague proportions. Never hit one while on a bike, or a car for that matter, came close plenty of times. I'd rather collide with a roo than a wombat, that's like hitting a rock!

[chollo9]

Originally Posted by PeterW

I decided on a 'best chance of surviving' strategy a few years ago

This is key, think about how things are likely to unfold and how you plan to act (vs. react). Deer, 'roos, etc. aren't gonna run you down from behind, nor are they likely to come strolling down the center of the lane. Consider the probable scenarios and come up with some preplanned strategies. No guarantee of success, but it sure does increase your chances.

Rule number one (for me): Where there is one deer, there is likely another following it, so look behind the one you see, not at it.

Rule number two: If you're really close to hitting a running animal, aim for it's ass, it will probably not be there by the time you reach it.

And like PeterW said, get off the brakes right before impact, you may be able to steer around it at the last instant, but not if you're braking hard.

YMMV, but this is my plan.

[Frostback]

Different strokes for all but My plan is to assess the animal's behavior then concentrate as hard as possible on a safe place where the anima isn't and is not likely to be. I would think aiming for it's ass is a problem waiting to happen. First, you might hit it, second, it might swap ends and third, some critters like porcupines, snakes, wood chucks, and armadillos are sort of symetrical and it can be hard to tell ass from head at a momen's notice. Maybe there are some people like that that you know eh?

Lee

[chollo9]

I totally agree, Lee. I'm talking about when it's an, "Oh shit, I'm gonna hit it!" situation, not when there's still time to look for options. And aiming for the ass end really only works with fast movers, so telling which end is which isn't too hard, unlike those people you're referring to.

[henryroten]

I believe that this question fits the thread; has anyone tried a deer avoidance device like the Hornet, and with any success? I know it is hard to analyze but if such devices help in scaring the deer away then probably worth a try. I know some people call them 'deer attraction devices' but I recall Motorcycle Consumer News doing an evaluation on the Hornet and felt that it was helpful.