The moose are out! One tip that could save your car - or even your life

If you drive in northern New England, you have seen the signs. 

"BRAKE FOR MOOSE. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE."

Moose/car collision a few miles from author's home

As first a visitor to northern New Hampshire and Maine in the 1950s - and a permanent resident for the past 25 years - I have had numerous encounters with moose. Simply slowing down when you see a moose on the road may not be enough to avoid a collision. 

When you spot a moose on the roadway, they are often motionless. But a driver can not assume they will remain that way. My experience has been that they often bolt directly into your path to get back into the woods. 

Expect that to happen. Slow down to a crawl and proceed as though the huge animal is bent on its own destruction. Come to a complete stop, if necessary. Never assume they will remain in "statue mode". 

It is now mid-April, and the moose are on the move. A collision with one often means the animal crashes through the windshield and "joins" the driver in the front seat. The crash usually proves fatal to the moose - and sometimes to the driver and occupants. The car damage is almost-always extensive.

I have personally avoided many moose/car collisions by following my own advice. Only on one occasion, a thick night-time fog thankfully slowed me down enough to inflict minimal damage to my truck - and no damage to the large bull moose that was all-but-invisible in the fog. His rear hoof slightly dented my from plastic bumper.

Moose in our driveway, Northern New Hamshire