Deer strikes

To the editor:

Back in the day, I was assigned to a district that was thick with deer. This was a hilly area with narrow-winding streets. The city police suffered five patrol car strikes in one year.

Even I took out the grille of a fire department car just before daybreak. I was driving at a safe speed, yet there still was zero chance of avoiding a crash as a deer leaped from the brush immediately in front of my vehicle.

The police chief decided to install deer whistles on all of the cruisers. We did the same for lighter fire department vehicles that could be on the roads at night.

From that point until I retired, I can’t recall a single deer strike with a vehicle so equipped by either the police department or the fire department.

I’m not suggesting that they are some kind of perfect solution, and everyone still needs to follow appropriate nighttime driving practices; however, the data were definitely compelling.

It would be interesting to find out if such devices are as effective in the Marion County environment. Several companies currently manufacture them.

Willis Lamm
Stagecoach, Nevada