will_warne Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 I'd agree about swerving too, that's not a good idea. I remember about 12 years ago my dad swerved in his Discovery to avoid some pheasants and ended up an 8ft deep ditch nearly writing it off. I still wind him up about the fact that he'd have probably shot them the weekend after anyway Strangely enough about 5 years ago he slid into a telegraph pole driving a 110 on the same stretch of road after loosing traction on ice. Not a lucky road for him. Deer are a big problem driving at night in Scotland, a lot of people hit them. The best way of dealing with them is to brake and turn you're headlights off; they tend to freeze in the headlights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 turn your lights off so you can't see the grim reaper lurking in the shadows awtg your arrival Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bull Bar Cowboy Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Biggest problem with hitting a deer at speed in a normal car is the fact that they fall onto the bonnet and slide up toward the windscreen demolishing the A posts at the same time. We get a lot of Deer on the A380 between Telegraph Hill and Ashcombe X ……. I always treat that stretch of road with a little respect late at night………….. during the summer months there is at least one accident a week…….. mainly crockles…………. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 I think that most people would just stand on the brakes (or chuck the anchor out if you are driving a series ). Swerving to avoid an immediate threat might end-up being a wrong decision. I saw a picture once of a guy that had hit a stag, the antlers pierced his chest and killed him. It's very difficult to make a rational decision in a split second. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciderman Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 was that you at the gates then Ciderman? Yes ,I was the calm looking chap. You should have 'followed through' and taken out Bambi. Free meat for a few months at least. Roadkill. Manna from the highway Firk me I nearly followed through when I hit the Trooper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted October 23, 2006 Author Share Posted October 23, 2006 to be honest, the swerve was a sub-concious reaction, it was a fairly narrow lane, and i was only doing about 20mph, as was looking for the turning i wanted to take, i probably only went off course by about 2-3 feet, and just clipped a tree stump with the end of the bumper. the majority of the damage was caused by the headlamp washer jet, as it trashed everything on its way back. i screwed up because it was wet, dark and to be honest i was pretty tired. i would never normally swerve to avoid anything, rather just brake in a straight line... maybe in that split second i thought i could miss it and get away with it. i know what you mean about ARB bumpers, but my tin foil standard bumper did quite a good job of deforming and soaking up the impact, rather than just transfering it to the chassis. i've had another look at it, and decided to get my insurance company to do it, the bumper is beyond repair, it realy does need a new wing, and there are some other damaged bits underneath, such as the splash guard, and part of the inner wing frame. if it wasn't such a tidy motor, i'd just sort it out myself, but i've not claimed in 8 years and my excess is only £100.... so much less hastle than running around looking for parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 5 years of increased premiums before you get your NCD taken off. then what happens if you have a proper accident you'll end up losing out as the insurance company certainly won't I'd get a better new bumper anothe wing in the correct colour(there must be loads appearing on the spares market nowdays) I'd consider sorting it myself before asking for mr Insurance to cough up they'll probably write it off! once you add labour etc!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Many of the accidents here are caused by people swerving to avoid sheep on the road, losing control on the gravel roads and kablooey.... If something comes out in front of me I will try and stop in a straight line but will NOT swerve as it is a recipe for disaster most of the time. A fully grown Upland Goose will come right through a windscreen at 50mph though and Dad did hundreds of pounds worth of damage to the front of his L200 when he hit one once. Being a farmer when he heard the cost of the new grille etc he told them to shove it and it still has a hole in the front Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted October 23, 2006 Author Share Posted October 23, 2006 you've only got to look at the damage caused to jet engines by bird strikes... can write off a jumbo engine.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted October 23, 2006 Author Share Posted October 23, 2006 5 years of increased premiums before you get your NCD taken off.then what happens if you have a proper accident you'll end up losing out as the insurance company certainly won't I'd get a better new bumper anothe wing in the correct colour(there must be loads appearing on the spares market nowdays) I'd consider sorting it myself before asking for mr Insurance to cough up they'll probably write it off! once you add labour etc!! i've got protected no-claims, so no real worries there, i'm going to the repair shop in the morning to get them to work out a quote, if they threaten to write it off i'll walk away... and go down the self repair route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 get a couple of quotes, you maybe surprised at the differences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 i've got protected no-claims, so no real worries there, i'm going to the repair shop in the morning to get them to work out a quote, if they threaten to write it off i'll walk away... and go down the self repair route. Read Tony's post again - five years of increased premiums before NCD is applied. You might not lose your no claims discount, but the base premium they're taking the discount off of will go up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesm Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 met their end on that road courtesy of a black cow looking the other way...... I had to brake very hard for a black heifer that was stood round a blind bend on my way home from Sodbury, and were it not for my habitual pensioner-like road speeds I'd probably have evened the score. Luckily, it seemed to take the whole thing in its stride and calmly watched me whilst I looked for a gate to put it back through - before it decided that it didn't like my torch and took off into a nearby wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Boy Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 A good friend of mine, shortly after passing his driving test, swerved on a country lane to avoid a pheasant. He ended up flipping the car onto its roof, and landed on top of the pheasant, killing it anyway! Fortunately the guy was ok, just really shaken up. found its way into the local papers! Personally, I will not brake or swerve for anything smaller than a dog (not including a dog). the only exeption to this, is when there are no other cars for miles, and noone will go into the back of me, then I brake. Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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