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Deer collision - safer on a Spyder? Thoughts? Or first-hand accounts?

I would have had a dash cam video when I hit the German Shepherd; however, that morning my dash cam kept asking me to reformat the Micro SD card...
 
Here in Wisconsin, if you drive outside the city limits, it’s not if you will, but when you will hit a deer. I’ve hit several with my car, and, knock on wood, none on two or three wheels. The last one I hit did relatively minor damage. The neighbor stated she hoped the deer was ok. To that I responded that I hoped it died a slow and painful death in the ditch!
 
I think there's too many factors involved to say for sure. Logic would predict one advantage is three wheels, as well as the Spyder's greater mass, but hit a deer one day, and survive, doesn't predict that if you hit a deer another day you will also survive. The size of the deer, where you hit it, and what it's doing will all have an effect. Catch a large deer mid leap dead center, and it could come through the windshield and into your upper body. I actually watched someone on a bike get killed years ago working a race track, because that's exactly what happened. His bike went under the deer and kept going, but he was killed by hitting the deer with nearly full force on his torso and head. I bet the outcome would have been the same had he hit it the same way while riding a Spyder.
 
As an old saying goes with a minor edit, "It's not the get-off (fall) that hurts you. It's the sudden stop".

It really doesn't matter if you stay on the Spyder (or on/in the motorbike, snowmobile, ski-doo, wing suit, para-glider, whatever) & you have one of those 'sudden stop' events, or if you do part company with whatever and then experience either a 'sudden stop' as you meet what is effectively (in the given circumstances) an immovable object (altho it's definitely gonna be worse for you if whatever you contact IS moving even a tiny little bit towards you at any relative speed!) or if you just part company and end up sliding/rolling along the ground &/or road surface! :eek:

Whenever you're on the outside of any vehicle that you're riding or piloting in any way, so that YOU are likely to be the very first living thing that comes into contact, suddenly or otherwise, with any other vehicle, building or fixtures, the scenery, the flora, or the fauna in the event of a mishap or miscalculation on anyone's behalf, you ARE gonna hurt if any of those things happen!! 😖

How much you get hurt and how well you survive that hurt depends very much upon how well you choose to protect yourself, and whatever you choose to help keep all of your important appendages, lubricants, and components et al safely contained inside the still hopefully complete & un-ruptured skin bag that you wear all the time! :oops: So be aware of the potential risks, and then make your choice as to how much/how well you want to protect that flimsy skin bag and all its contents in the event that anything meets or exceeds those risks. 🙄

Just Sayin' - and ignore the risks at your own peril! ;)
 
Have also been fair number of bird strikes to be aware & cautious of. Heck pot holes & patch bumps enough to cause damage. Nanny does help-UNAVOIDABLE is just that, lesson to be learned:
ATGATT, head on swivel, SLOW DOWN.
 
I'm glad we don't get so many Deer hits in England. There are some deer herds around the Nottingham area, which is about 16 miles
from where I live.

More Deer up in the North of UK in Scotland.
 
On 9/11/2025, I was on a ride with my sweetheart. We were traveling on a road in an exclusive area that had recently installed speed bumps. I slowed for them so was traveling about 20 mph. A truck pulled out from a side street, and I could not see the speed bumps, so I slowed more. The truck made a left turn, and the deer came out from behind it. I was looking beyond the truck (for speed bumps) and noticed the deer in my peripheral vision, I slowed more. The deer struck the front of my Spyder and like Starsky from the mid-70's show Starsky and Hutch, it slid across my frunk. No damage to my ride nor the deer. I brushed a few pieces of fur from the front and continued on our way, while the deer scurried into the woods. Thank goodness for the speed bumps, a good wax job and God being our co-pilot. I have a short video on the event but am unable to upload it to the site.
 
Lots of deer around here.
I think if you hit one on a Spyder or Ryker there is a good chance it is going to land in your lap.
A girl I worked with hit one and totaled her Crown Vic.
Moose are ten times bigger and have long legs. Hit one with your car and he is coming in to visit you.
Right now the Rut is on and they're dumber than normal.
Remember, if you see one, there are others right behind it!
 
Way late, but there seems to be some active discussion, and with the deer rut in full swing, that seems timely. It depends on the strike and whether damage to the machine or person is the focus. A three-wheel machine will likely be more stable with less required expertise of the rider. However, if the rider takes a direct hit, especially at speed, the rider could suffer internal injury from the animal strike; or be knocked off of the machine, incurring further injury from a slide or impact on the fall. ATGATT, dressing for the impact or slide, is appropriate. That stated, a friend was struck from the side on a foggy morning. He was wearing a jacket and helmet. A seasoned paramedic came upon the scene moments after the accident. The friend lost his fight due to substantial internal injuries. The best defense is a good offense: be aware of your surroundings, always on the lookout for the forest creatures coming out to the ditch/grass/trees. They're frightened, operating on fight-or-flight instinct, and we happen to be in the way. In the end, being hit by a critter of any size can be catastrophic regardless of your ride.
 
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