Collision Avoidance needs to add deer detection

[Zaph]

The initial estimate came back at $4,100. I'm sure it will increase once they get everything off. Hoping the radiator and intercooler are dinged up enough to warrant replacing cause they took some licks.

$4100 isn't too bad really if you look at some of the numbers people are posting in this thread.

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[DavidR]

After living and driving in the mountains for 35 years, we unfortunately finally ran into a deer on a winding road in Dixie NF in Utah about a month ago. It was around a tight curve so we weren't going that fast, but the deer darted out just as the side of the road it was coming from on came into view. We were going fast enough that the deer died, which was probably a good thing for it, but the truck only sustained a slightly bent bumper which I might even be able to pull out myself -- I haven't decided yet, I'm going to get a body shop estimate first.

With regard to the active collision avoidance system (with active breaking), I suspect that it is limited in terms of detecting objects that are already mostly in your direct path. The side warning system might have detected the deer, but it all happened so fast that I don't remember if it did or not, though I did have time to begin braking myself. For the full anti-collision system with active braking, though, I suspect the object might already need be in your direct path, not just moving toward being in your direct path. It's possible that a more sophisticated system like what Tesla has might have the motion prediction and tracking ability to have detected something like this fast enough to have prevented it, but I'm not sure.

 

[Robert Scott]

I live in deer country. The best deer avoidance $6 will buy. I have had these mounted on all my vehicles. The work.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-PIECE-UL...afety-Save-Animal-Alert-Device/332811404904?s

 

[Robert Scott]

Excellent question. Can't answer it. I have driven by deer that are at the side of the road; they raise their head and look my way, but don't move. All I can say is I have never hit a deer. $6 is very cheap. I have had these deer whistle on 4 trucks and 5 Corvettes. Oh, I did hit a bear in Oregon with our 93' Corvette. It just flew out of the forest in front of the car. I slammed on the breaks, hit him about 25 mph. He rolled up the hood, then down and ran away----no damage.

 

[VAMike]

Excellent question. Can't answer it. I have driven by deer that are at the side of the road; they raise their head and look my way, but don't move. All I can say is I have never hit a deer

This is like catch cans. I don't have one of those and *also* haven't hit a deer.

 

[DavidR]

Hmm, interesting. Your experience with deer, them not moving or darting as you go by, is pretty much the majority of my interactions. I've never really been worried about the deer standing on the side of the road, they usually don't do anything but watch you go by in my experience. Usually all I do is slow down a bit and move over slightly, if that, and nothing happens. It's the ones already running through the woods or the ditch that will meet your vehicle speeding down the highway that are the issue in my mind. I'd be interested to know how the whistle affects them since they are the really dangerous ones.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

We had the whistles on our old truck and didn't hit any deer in the 260,000 miles we drove it. I'd been planning to put them on the new truck but luck ran out before I got to it. It could just be coincidence, but I suspect they do work to some degree in some circumstances. The one we hit recently darted out from the left side of the road just as that spot came into view as we rounded the left-hand curve ahead of it. I'm not sure if a whistle would have helped in that case or not since we weren't going that fast due to the curve and whistles need a certain amount of air speed to work. The whistles are pretty cheap so I ordered them and will put them on after the bumper is fixed.

EDIT: The ebay listing posted by @Robert Scott says that the whistles activate at 35MPH, so they wouldn't have worked in our recent case since we were going slower than that.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

Like this one?

 

[Msfitoy]

Good insurance...I have a Hornet electronic deer whistle on my MINI (pricey but much more effective)...I need to get some whistles for the Ranger and the rest of family's cars...

 

[DavidR]

its all relative. its all luck and to be honest, it is only $6.

i personally think being more diligent, watching harder and closer and slowing down are your best defenses.

It's a good point. Everyone knows that no matter how careful you are, there's always a chance you could be involved in an accident that is caused by someone else or by a momentary lapse of your own normally good judgement, and if the circumstances/timing are also bad, it could be unavoidable. Even many careful folks will be involved in a fender-bender at some point in their driving life. There is some amount of luck involved because you can't control the entire environment, and no one is 100% perfect themselves. After our recent experience, I think the same thing applies to deer and other wildlife.

 

[TCASMER]

Well that's shitty

Glad you are okay.

I'm in for $6,500.

 

[FordFreak]

My Mustang stopped quickly for a deer once, but it was standing in the middle of the road like an idiot and I was only doing around 40. Windshield lit up blood red, and brakes slammed on. I saw it just before the car completely stopped. I’d wager the Ranger would do the same if the deer wasn’t coming out of a blind spot at the last second like most of them.

 

[Theslim_spaydee]

The worst part of this is that someone at enterprise thought to put me in a colorado. I have to say I am glad I own the ranger because the colorado is super tight on the inside and overall pretty boring.

 

[Theslim_spaydee]

I was wrong it got worse. Three thousand dollars in additional supplemental claims and several pieces for the bumper show an unknown ETA. But hey Ford is gonna Ford i guess.

 

[Theslim_spaydee]

Idk maybe the final update. My local ford dealership has picked up the cost of the rental after my 30 day coverage through my insurance expired. Probably doesn't hurt that my dad is the service director there but hey I'd like to think they did it because the delays is fully on Ford.

I guess the final post will need to be of my brand new front end. Hopefully next week!! Who would have thought 40 days for what appered to be minimal damage. But hey 2020!

Pointless additional commentary. I have put 2,200 miles on my rental in a month. My truck had 4,700 miles over eight months. Well nine months now.

 

[Swingpure]

Excellent question. Can't answer it. I have driven by deer that are at the side of the road; they raise their head and look my way, but don't move. All I can say is I have never hit a deer. $6 is very cheap. I have had these deer whistle on 4 trucks and 5 Corvettes. Oh, I did hit a bear in Oregon with our 93' Corvette. It just flew out of the forest in front of the car. I slammed on the breaks, hit him about 25 mph. He rolled up the hood, then down and ran away----no damage.

I hit a bear once with my Plymouth Voyager Van going about 60 mph, towing a 17.5’ boat. It came out of a bush, right next to the road. I saw the bear, yelled bear and hit the brakes and the hit the bear all within about a second. The bear just rolled and rolled in front of the van, as I tired to come to a quick and controlled stop. The tire skid marks were straight, but I did cross to the other side of the road. Fortunately no other vehicles were coming the other way at the time. The bear was dead.

I drove the van and boat back to the correct side of the road. The front end was pushed in, damaging the rad and a bunch of the grill. It was in the middle of no where, in northwestern Ontario. A nice person stopped, who called the OPP who eventually called a tow truck for us.

It all happened in an instant. My wife and I can still see the bear rolling in front of the van the whole way.. Funny thing, is immediately after the van stopped, she very enthusiastically praised my driving skills. That has never happened since! ?

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