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Too many auto accidents happen on roads where wild animals roam. The costs vary from a single $2,000 repair to a $100,000 medical bill. Protect your car and yourself by learning more about automobile-wildlife collisions. Learn about the problems that you could face and the ways to prevent these accidents.

There are certain dangers that occur when your car collides with animals in the wild. Wildlife can be life threatening in 2 ways:

1. Deer and moose can weigh hundreds or even thousands of pounds. That is a LOT of weight. A collision with one of these big mammals can result in hundreds of pounds shooting through the through the windshield and into the driver. Often times, this results in fatality. In many cases, glass from the windshield can cause injury to the driver and passengers.
2. The biggest danger with animals on the road is when a driver tries to avoid hitting the animal. An over adjustment in your driving will result in loss of control of the vehicle. Too many people have rolled their car in a swerving attempt to dodge some small creature on the road.

As for your vehicle, D & T Body Shop, Inc. informs that there are a  wide range of damages that can affect your vehicle after an accident with wildlife. Obviously, body damage is the most common damage associated with wildlife collision. Some other common damages that occur to the vehicle are windshield damage, radiator damage, vehicle misalignment, and a damaged undercarriage. If you run over a big enough animal, the casing that protects the belly of your vehicle can jar loose. I had this happen and the undercarriage dragged on the road for months after wards.

Prevent your car from colliding with wildlife by following a few tips. The most important tip is to drive slowly, especially in areas where animals are known to wander onto the road. Watch out for forests where animals pop out suddenly. Reducing your speed will reduce the dollar bills on your repairs. In addition, nighttime driving is very dangerous. Always use the bright settings on the headlights if you plan to drive at night.

If you find that you are headed for a collision with wild life, don’t swerve to miss the animal. For your life’s sake, it is better that you hit the animal than roll your vehicle. The proper course of action is to slow the vehicle as much as possible and try to slightly adjust your angle to hit less of the animal, but not enough to leave the road.

Stay informed about the dangers of driving into a wildlife area. Whether you drive by a forest or jungle, the chances of a collision increase. Colliding with wildlife will cost you thousands of dollars in damages or cost you a life. Follow good driving tips like driving slowly, switching on headlights and watching out for herds of animals. They are not going to pay for your car repairs or medical bills, so interact with wildlife properly.

This article was written with information from D & T Body Shop, Inc. who regularly handles many different vehicles damaged in wildlife collisions.