Читать книгу Street Rider's Guide - David L. Hough - Страница 15

Deer Drama

Are those deer warning signs realistic? Yes, they are.

You finally managed to attend a motorcycle rally in Eastern Oregon, and now you’re heading for the coast, riding through the fertile John Day Valley. It’s cool, so you’re wearing all your gear. You notice occasional deer warning signs and wonder about reducing speed. But other drivers don’t slow, including pickup trucks with Oregon plates. You wonder if they know something you don’t. Are those deer signs realistic? The only deer you’ve seen have been out in the fields. You decide to maintain speed.

Suddenly, there’s a flash of brown in the roadside greenery and, instantly, there’s a buck leaping over the guardrail directly into your path. You are so startled you don’t even roll off the throttle as the bike slams into the deer and cartwheels. You remember a short flight and then the unforgettable crunching impact as you slam into the pavement. When you come to, you struggle to remember what happened and then realize you are lying in the road with several other motorists gathered around to help. The medics have been called. Your trip is over for today—and for the rest of the year—but you’re alive, thanks in part to your gear.

Yes, the deer signs are realistic. They are posted when there have been an abnormally high number of deer strikes in that area. Deer don’t seem to have any instinctive fear of motor vehicles, and in areas such as this, there are hundreds of deer strikes every month between spring and fall. The locals don’t slow down because deer strikes are treated as an unfortunate risk. When a heavier vehicle such as a pickup truck hits a deer, the driver is protected by crumple zones, belts, and airbags. But when a motorcyclist hits a deer, the results can be serious injury.

Yes, it’s wise to slow down when you are passing through deer warning zones and to cover the brake lever. At a slower pace, you will have more time to spot a deer and take evasive action. And, if you can’t avoid a deer, the impact forces are less at slower speeds. If other drivers (or riders) choose to not slow down, move over and let them by.