Oct 2, 2006

Freak Accident Sends Message

In a year filled with trauma on the business front, the Champ Car series experienced its strangest and most gut-wrenching piece of news several weeks ago when driver Cristiano da Matta collided with a deer in a practice session at Wisconsin's Road America, which resulted in a severe head injury.  The injury required immediate emergency brain surgery, and da Matta was confined to a Neenah, Wisconsin, hospital room for weeks before being released to fly to his home in Miami recently.

While racing accidents are an unfortunate but inevitable part of the sport, the bizarre nature of the accident drew a great deal of attention.  We've all heard the analogy "like a deer in the headlights," but the crash still seemed as unlikely as a racecar being struck by lightning or put off course by an alien spaceship.  In a bad luck year for Champ Car, which has seen its fortunes dwindle this season, it seemed like one more random slap in the face.

The fact of the matter, however, is that car-deer collisions are frequent, especially in the Midwest.  We at Driving Today have been reporting on the phenomenon for years now, and states like Michigan and Wisconsin have set up task forces to deal with the problem.  If any good can come from such a horrific accident, it is that the car-deer collision issue is getting more attention.  According to data from the Wisconsin Department of transportation, there are more than 15,000 car-deer crashes each year, and, while most are not severe (except for the deer), some of them result in fatalities. 

So can we expect more racecar-deer collisions in the future?  The fact is they are nearly as unlikely as an alien visitation.  Why?  Not because there is a shortage of deer at tracks like Road America and others across the country, but because deer are nocturnal animals.  The vast majority of car-deer collisions occur between the hours of dusk and dawn, and such collisions are most prevalent in the late fall and early winter when the deer are, well, in a romantic mood.  Since most races are staged during daylight hours and relatively few take place in the late autumn, we should be safe from a similar tragedy to the one that befell da Matta.  But because we are entering the most dangerous time of year for car-deer collisions, take extra care and watch out for amorous deer by the side of the road.  They could leap out and ruin your day.