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The Saskatchewan RCMP is asking drivers to slow down, take caution and yield for ungulates after five separate vehicle vs. moose collisions were reported to police within a single 30-minute period.
Between 6:20 and 6:45 p.m. on Friday night, drivers in the Hudson Bay, Rose Valley, Prince Albert, Melfort/Kinistino and Southey areas called the RCMP after they had hit a moose on the road.
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The RCMP says, while the vehicles involved in each collision were damaged, none of the drivers or passengers were injured — but wildlife collisions can be extremely dangerous.
According to SGI, between 2016 and 2020, an average of 367 people were injured and one person was killed per year in animal-related collisions on Saskatchewan roads.
The RCMP wants drivers to be more careful on the highways and consider slowing down, especially when they’re travelling through tree-dense areas or during the night and early morning.
“(Drivers) should also watch for movement on or alongside the road and shining eyes, which will be your headlights reflecting off the animal’s eyes,” the RCMP said in a news release. “Moose are tall animals and their eyes are normally above the beams of most vehicle headlights, and so are less likely to reflect the light.”
This latest spate of moose collisions comes after a late-October plea from the Saskatchewan RCMP for drivers to slow down for wildlife and emergency vehicles alike after an incident where four separate vehicles hit the same moose, ultimately killing the animal and spreading its remains across the road, on Highway 11 near Hanley.
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If you see a large animal on the road, SGI recommends staying calm and taking immediate action.
“If you have time to stop, do so at a safe distance and stay alert,” SGI suggests. “When one animal crosses the road, others often follow. You can also sound your horn to scare wildlife away from the road.”
If an animal appears suddenly and surprises you, break firmly, but stay in control and don’t swerve — you don’t want to turn into oncoming traffic or roll into the ditch.
If a collision with a large animal is unavoidable, SGI says drivers should do their best to aim for a glancing blow rather than a head-on hit, let up on the brakes just before the collision to reduce the chances of the animal going through the windshield, and turn towards the spot where the animal came from rather than where it’s going.
After a collision, SGI says drivers should pull over to the shoulder and turn on their hazard lights if they can, call the police or the RCMP if anyone is hurt or if the vehicle is badly damaged, and stay away from the injured animal.
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