Driving in the United States, you may often see animals such as raccoons, coyotes, and deer near the road, and even large animals such as wild horses and bison in open areas. Most of the time, these wild animals know to stay away from noisy vehicles on the road, but sometimes they appear out of nowhere. No one wants to hit them while driving, but this time it is extremely easy to cause a traffic accident.
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Statistics show that an average of one animal dies under a wheel every second in the United States, the most common being small animals such as birds and pikas. 1.5 million deer collide with cars each year, accounting for 90% of the number of car accidents caused by large and medium-sized animals. October-December is the mating season of wild deer, which is the high incidence of such car accidents. Every year in the United States, more than 100 people die in collisions with vehicles and deer, and more than 12,000 people are injured.
So what should you do if such an accident happens? How will the insurance pay for the damage caused to the car?
What should you do if you find animals on the road while driving?
The most common and safest way to respond to an animal on the road is to slow down and stop if necessary.
Before braking, you must observe the rearview mirror to ensure that you have a certain following distance from the vehicle behind you.
Keep a relatively large distance from the vehicle in front to avoid rear-end collisions caused by sudden braking of the vehicle in front.
If you encounter a small animal, you should release the accelerator, slow down, and whistle quickly. Generally, the small animal will avoid it far away.
If you encounter a large or medium-sized animal, you can sound the horn first, observe the surrounding traffic, and change lanes if it is safe. It is best not to hit it directly, because a head-on collision with a larger animal like a deer, cow, or horse is likely to break the windshield and cause injury to people.
Remember, in an emergency, do not slam the steering wheel. This can easily cause the car to lose control and cause fatal danger.
Do not brake suddenly or change lanes suddenly. Sudden braking at high speed may easily cause the car to roll over, or cause rear-end collisions.
What should you do if you hit an animal?
1. Pull over when safe to do so
If you hit a wild animal while driving, the first thing you should do is stay calm and try to regain control of your vehicle and pull over to the side of the road as safely as possible. Turn on your double jump lights so other drivers can see you.
Hitting a large animal, such as a deer or elk, can easily damage your vehicle. Depending on the severity of the collision, smaller animals such as raccoons can also cause serious damage.
Check yourself and your passengers for any serious injuries that may require immediate medical attention. If you or a passenger requires medical attention, please contact emergency services.
2. Contact the police
Accidents that result in damage to your vehicle do not always require reporting to the police. However, if there is an obstacle in the road after the collision, you should call the police. For example, you hit and killed a deer while driving. The animal remains on the road and could pose a potential danger to other drivers. By calling the police immediately, you can reduce the chances of someone else hitting the animal or your vehicle.
In most cases, the police will question you and fill out a police report. This report may also be helpful to you when you file an insurance claim.
3. Inspect your vehicle for damage:
Large animals can cause serious damage to the body of your car, including dents or bumper damage, before taking photos of the accident.
Make sure to get a clear picture of any damage to the vehicle, such as broken lights, mirrors or dented bumpers.
4. Avoid approaching animals
You should never attempt to approach an injured animal after a traffic accident.
Instead, animal control, or your local veterinarian's office or rescue group for domesticated pets should be contacted. Not only does this give injured creatures a better chance of recovery, but it also protects you from potential harm from trapped animals.
They will arrange to clean up the animal carcasses or send the surviving animals to the animal hospital for treatment.
If you hit a small animal, such as a wolf cub, and your car isn't damaged, you don't have to call the police, but it's best to notify the animal control department.
5. Contact your insurance company
If your car is damaged and you have applicable collision or comprehensive insurance,
If your car is non-drivable and requires a tow, the Claims Services team can help you arrange a tow in connection with your claim if you have comprehensive or collision insurance.
If you do not have this cover, but have purchased optional roadside assistance cover, you should check the information on your roadside assistance card for assistance.
Hit an animal on the road? How to pay for insurance?
There are two parts in auto insurance that are used to compensate for the loss of your own car in the event of an accident, namely: collision insurance (Collision) and comprehensive accident insurance (Comprehensive). In this case, which part should be used for compensation Woolen cloth? The answer is: comprehensive accident insurance (Comprehensive)
Collision insurance is explained in the insurance clause: Compensation for the loss of your own vehicle caused by the contact between the vehicle and other vehicles or buildings, but animals are not included.
Comprehensive accident insurance includes: various natural disasters (hail, hurricane), falling trees, theft, smashed glass, flooding, spontaneous combustion, and contact with animals.
So if you hit an animal on the road, the insurance company will use your comprehensive accident insurance (Comprehensive) to settle the claim. If you do not have this insurance, even if you have collision insurance (Collision), the insurance company will refuse to pay the claim.
Comprehensive accident insurance (Comprehensive), the price of this insurance is not very high, when buying car insurance, it is highly recommended that you buy it.
Most animals become more active in the early morning or evening. This is the time when many wildlife look for food or move between their preferred habitats. If you're driving during these hours, be sure to pay close attention to Animal Crossing signs.
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