The normal reaction of deers that are caught in a car’s headlights is to freeze, probably in the hopes that the “predator” won’t notice them and therefore go away.
It’s a reasonable reaction when facing a predator but totally works against the deer when facing a car.
Such instinctive reactions can even sometimes result in an accident if the vehicle is unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the hapless deer.
Watch the interaction between the driver and a deer below.
[rumble video_id=v5pez9 domain_id=u7nb2]
Video credit: Rumble
But just because most deer react that way doesn’t mean that each one that you encounter will behave the same way.
That’s what 53-year-old receptionist Christine Lees found out when she came face-to-face with a giant deer blocking a residential road as she was driving home at night in St. Ives, Cornwall.
Instead of being scared off by the bright headlights, the giant deer fearlessly approached her car and started inspecting it. The deer stayed for about five minutes and was blocking the road the whole time so Christine couldn’t move so she filmed the strange encounter instead.
It’s usual to encounter deer at dawn and dusk so it was no surprise that Christine encountered the deer at the time she did although how it behaved was the only unusual part.
In places that host a deer population, there are usually deer signs along the road so it’s good to be on the alert when driving in these locations.
It would even be prudent to slow down a bit in order to give one enough time to even notice that a deer is there and put on the brakes. The slower one’s speed, the less distance the car travels before coming to a complete stop when you slam the brakes.
This could mean the difference between a close call and getting into an accident.
While hitting the deer would be bad news for the animal, it will also be bad news for you because repairs can get costly depending on the severity of the impact.
And one other thing, when you see one deer crossing, expect other deer to be close by. So avoiding one doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods (figuratively speaking) quite yet.
Replaced!