[rakesh_r]

A very important topic indeed. This is something which we as drivers in India cannot avoid. Some of the steps which i diligently follow:

1- Reduce my speed at bends
2- Avoid driving on the right if the divider is filled with vegetation
3- Always study the behaviour of the vehicle in front of you. If the vehicle has braked or the tail light glows up, I always "assume" that there is an obstacle ahead.
4- Keeping safe distance from the vehicles ahead, if someone's tailgating I just let them pass.
5- Reduce my speed at intersections, especially villages where people simply dart out of nowhere.
6- All these years of driving in India, I have come to a conclusion that driving at or below 100 is the safest bet.
7- Last but not the least, have restricted driving at night. Earlier I used to have aux lights on my car which used to instill some confidence. Thanks to the harassment by the police, had to remove them.

[ashokabs]

Nice point raised regarding animals on the road. Yes, in India we have to be very alert when we are driving. As it is there are no rules followed.

One very useful article spoke of ABCD - Be Alert, Brake, CAS etc. I would add another C which stands for Cash. In case you do hit an animal be ready to pay or you might be stuck there for the whole day till the cops rescue you - if they do indeed!!

[adisan]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

2- Avoid driving on the right if the divider is filled with vegetation

Originally Posted by narayans80

• Left or middle lane works best. Bulk of the cattle emerge out of the divider.

From my observations:

This works well with slower-moving animals like cows. But with dogs, no matter which lane we choose, it could become be a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Because a dog can suddenly decide to cross the road even from the opposite side of the median. It hurries across unmindful of everything else except whatever has caught its attention. Then the only factors are the dog's speed and our speed as to whether it will come directly in front or not, regardless of the lane.

[Romeo_Mike]

Words of wisdom on dealing with animals on the road, from my first driving or rather riding instructor (yeah, my father), that have never failed me till date-

1. Cattle: They hardly ever stop on their tracks even if a vehicle is approaching fast. Best bet is to cross from behind.

2. Pigs: They pretend you are never there. Even if you hit them, they will get up and continue on the pre-event path. So again, best crossed from behind.

3. Dogs: They will almost always stop on their tracks after noticing the oncoming vehicle and most likely take a few steps back to avoid collision. So better to try and get past them from the side they were facing.

4. Goats/sheep: Usually in herds, no two will behave the same way. So reduce speed considerably and they will avoid you.

[manishk123]

I was driving my BMW X5 on the highway while returning from Hubli to Mumbai at around 120 km/hr. Suddenly a dog came right in front of the car. The front end took the impact. The BMW apparently has a crumple zone in front to protect pedestrians, if they get hit. Hence the entire front grill etc was in pieces and the car was immobilised. Had to call for a flat bed to take the car away and cost a bomb to fix.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by adisan

Did the dent / bend in the condenser lead to any problems with the cooling systems?

No, fortunately the same AC condenser is still in use, and it works like a charm. The accident had happened in June 2013.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by adisan

This works well with slower-moving animals like cows. But with dogs, no matter which lane we choose, it could become a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Dogs run away. The problem starts when many vehicles start hassling that poor thing. Obviously, you have to brake and slow down.

I see one about 100 meters from my house on a daily basis driving to work at 7 am. I am it's morning alarm clock I don't even have to honk. It can guess from the road noise, gets up and moves on.

Because a dog can suddenly decide to cross the road even from the opposite side of the median. It hurries across unmindful of everything else except whatever has caught its attention.

The species that are unmindful of everything else are humans. Absolutely no competition at that.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

I am yet to see a dead monkey or cat on the road that has been run over by a car.

I have seen dead monkeys on ghat roads (not necessarily hill stations) like Kannad (on Verul-Chalisgaon in MH) or Machaliya (on Jhabua-Dahod)

Small residential streets are where you'll find cats in the open. I've rarely seen any out in the open on bigger residential community roads, let alone major public roads or highways.

[IP_Man]

If you want to pass harmless animals like cow or buffalo on the road, always do so from their backside. Because they have unpredictable forward movement.

[coolmel]

How to avoid accidents with cats and dogs especially in small city lanes? Coming from someone who also doubles up as a community animal care taker.

[Tgo]

Excellent topic.

Since we are talking of the conditions to be aware of to avoid collisions with animals. Based on a few first-hand experiences I have these conditions to share:

Monsoons are notorious for animal related crashes for two reasons.

• Stray / ABANDONED cattle loves to sit on the dry patches of the road trying to avoid flies or simply sitting in the wet. The situation becomes very dangerous when you add a mix of elevated overpasses on highways, since they climb to the crest (highest point) to aid their keeping dry strategy. With a group of them sitting in the innermost lane, at night with the other lanes being hogged up by trucks, things became very tricky for us on one instance.
  
  
• Overgrown shrubs in the median (divider) restrict visibility. Although they help in cutting down the glare from oncoming traffic at nights, if not pruned periodically, overgrown shrubs in the median, gives you no sense of what and where something might be crossing it. Monsoons provide a spurt in the growth of these plants and it can become a concern sometimes in as less as 5-10 days.
  
  
  You can read about this incident here.
  

Dusk is usually when the cattle owners round their herd up. Increased chances of a number of animals crossing hurriedly because of being threatened with a stick.

Newly opened Highways / E-ways since the wildlife is still adapting to the restrictions in their usual tracks to navigate the region. Smaller animals (jackals, fox, dogs, mongoose, snakes and birds) are usually the victim here. That is why highways abroad accommodate animal crossings every few kilometers.

Unfenced / non-elevated highways are more prone to such accidents since there is no barrier or restriction which keeps them from coming in harm's way.

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Our roads are riddled with not just potholes and sudden obstructions, but animals of many sizes.
https://Youtu.be/HSaQ6-qTTi4
[/b]

This video reminded me of an important lesson which our Winter Driving Instructor gave us in Vaitoudden, Sweden. Before starting to drive in Sweden in winter, every test engineer in my previous organizations was supposed to clear a winter driving test.

The instructor said:

1. Watch out for Elks, this area is known for Elks crossing the motorway often.
2. If you see any footprints on the snow, be alert.
3. If you see one Elk, be sure of more in the vicinity.
4. Avoid hitting Elks at all costs.
5. Don't fixate your vision on the Elk, look in the direction you have to go, worst case drive into snow (on the right).
6. If hitting an Elk seems unavoidable, try to hit such that it gets thrown away, because if the Elk gets stuck on your windscreen, you have high chances of being killed by its long legs.

Spike

PS - Excellent thread, rated 5 Stars

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by coolmel

How to avoid accidents with cats and dogs especially in small city lanes?

Driving really slow (20kmph) is the only option. Small city lanes often have little children following their pet into the path of an oncoming car.

Originally Posted by Tgo

Monsoons are notorious for animal related crashes for two reasons.

• Stray / ABANDONED cattle loves to sit on the dry patches of the road
  
• Overgrown shrubs in the median (divider) restrict visibility.

Dusk is usually when the cattle owners round their herd up.

Newly opened Highways / E-ways since the wildlife is still adapting to the restrictions in their usual tracks to navigate the region. Smaller animals (jackals, fox, dogs, mongoose, snakes and birds) are usually the victim here.

Unfenced / non-elevated highways are more prone to such accidents since there is no barrier or restriction which keeps them from coming in harm's way.

All of these are extremely valid points to keep in mind while anticipating the presence of animals on the roads. Monsoon is the worst season as far as presence of animals on the road is concerned.

Thanks for mentioning this.

[NiInJa]

One thing I do religiously is blowing car's horn as much as possible when the roads ahead are very clear, with no vehicle ahead of me or the ones ahead are way to far. Dogs and cats usually will be alert when there is a lot of vehicular traffic. They usually decide to cross roads as soon as they sense a lull in noise.

In case of cattle, car's horn don't work and the best approach is to slow down and pass from their behind. As for them appearing suddenly out of the bushes, there is no option but the drive car within controllable speed range. Two wheeler riders should always wear the right gear. Just be prepared for such scenario at all times.

Lastly, know when these cows and buffaloes have their meals and plan your road trips accordingly. I usually see them chomping grass on dividers in afternoon so a bit more vigilant while driving around that time.

[Col.S Virdi]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Our roads are riddled with not just potholes and sudden obstructions, but animals of many sizes.
https://Youtu.be/HSaQ6-qTTi4
The presence of animals on corridors where vehicles travel at high speed is not uncommon in many parts of the world. Kangaroo strikes in Australia, and moose & deer strikes in North America and Canada are common. These are wild animals that frequent uninhabited areas. However, in India, the greater risk is that of hitting a domesticated animal, such as a cow or buffalo, goat, sheep, or a dog - both on the highways, as well as inside our cities.

The video below shows just a few of my personal encounters with animals on the road in the capital city of India (and the NCR region), over just a few weeks before writing this:
https://Youtu.be/K88OAiNpP70
So what are the animals you are likely to collide with, and what are the strategies to follow, to avoid crashing into animals?

I would suggest not to drive too far left or too far right especially while driving at night. This gives you an option of moving and reacting to any obstruction. Animal hits are very frequent in our country, especially when the lanes on the road are separated by a green hedge, as animals get camouflaged in this and suddenly appear on the road. In India safe driving is not only being a cautious driver but more importantly saving oneself from others mistakes. Keep safe and healthy.

[Arun_S]

Drive away: Rarely, the only option to avoid a collision with a charging animal is to drive away as fast as you can. This may well be in reverse! Watch...
https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=srx7RSQToUo

With respect to Elephants, if you see Tusker alone that too a young adults, be careful.

They will most likely attack.

I had personal experience in mudumalai, were the biker before me narrowly escaped by putting some zig zag cuts, while i had to drive in reverse great speed to escape from the charging tusker.

It was told by locals then be careful with single males.