Washington State Troopers, California Highway patrol officers and other traffic safety experts offer advice to help Seattle drivers avoid a car accident with an animal. Experts now advise drivers who suddenly come upon an animal in the road not to swerve to avoid hitting the animal. If the driver can safely make a lane change to avoid an animal-vehicle collision, that may be the best course of action for the animal. However, human injuries are most likely to occur by car crashes that happen after the driver swerves.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration collects statistics on human-animal collisions. In 2009, 12,000 injury crashes involving animals took place; 173 crashes included human fatalities. The cost of these accidents is significant.
