I'm glad cats don't chase bikes!

[staceysue]

How about deer crossing the trail? On my ride on a local bike path this week I had no less than 10 deer run across the path in front of me? And probably 5 squirrels!! I kept thinking what it would feel like to hit a deer or have a deer hit me. And this was in a very busy suburb. Geeesh...

I wonder how often bicyle/deer crashes happen?

[OakLeaf]

I'm guessing there's a limited set of circumstances where bici/deer crashes could happen.

The #1 factor is that when it's full dark out, a lot fewer people are riding their bicycles in places with enough greenspace to have deer, and most of those who are, have the sense to slow down. Not like cars, who (not only because of their own psychology, but also because of the risk of being rear-ended) generally keep going the same speed regardless of visibility.

In most terrain, bicis are going a lot slower than cars anyhow, slow enough to be able to avoid deer safely. And one would hope that bicyclists' vulnerability makes us pay more attention to our surroundings generally, than car drivers do, although I do realize that's not necessarily the case for motorcyclists. It's true for the ones who survive years of riding - but there are unfortunate numbers of the other kind, too.

I've had a couple of, not exactly close calls with deer, but closer than I'd like, and they've all been in the same situation.

Late afternoon/evening (deer o'clock), dappled light with sun and dark through leaves making visibility very difficult, and bombing down a hill way too fast for the light conditions.

[redrhodie]

I've had a really close call with a deer. I was on a bike path, and it leaped out of the woods, over both lanes in half a heartbeat. If I had been a few feet ahead of where I was, I probably would have been knocked off my bike, and possibly trampled. It's not like you can avoid it if it runs into you. It was daylight, and I was paying attention, but he wasn't.

Edit to add, I was on my old bike, so not that fast.

[staceysue]

They're so still and quiet sometimes. I've got pretty close to them kayaking before they noticed me. The only close encounters I've had with deer on my bike have included tiny little newborn fawns laying on the shoulder. It's happened twice that I've found them there - perfectly healthy and perfectly still. The first time I thought it was just a clod of dirt. Then one day I saw why they were doing that. I encountered a mother and fawn and the fawn immediately layed down, still and quiet, while the mother bounded across the field, making herself highly visible. They're so beautiful.