If only they would stay in the woods…
Because of my regular trips to RevZilla in Philadelphia and my annual excursion to visit family in Maine, I cross Pennsylvania at least a few times every year (though sometimes I take a route through Maryland when going to Philly, just to avoid another day on the Pennsylvania Turnpike). When I’m coming home from Maine, my preferred way to get across the state in a hurry is I-80. But there’s a catch that makes me a little nervous.
I-80 across Pennsylvania is Deer Alley.
Last summer, coming home from Maine, I noticed a disturbing number of dead deer along the interstate. This year, I decided to count. The result? In the 260 miles of I-80 I rode between I-81 in the east and the Ohio state line, I counted 32 deer carcasses. Figure that’s 32 in the recent enough past that the grisly evidence is still around. Plus some others I may have missed. Plus, presumably, the same number on the eastbound side. It adds up to a deer strike every few miles.
The stats back up my anecdotal survey. State Farm annually ranks the likelihood of a deer-vehicle accident by state, based on the number of deer strikes and number of vehicles on the road. Pennsylvania ranks second, only behind West Virginia. In terms of human fatalities, only the larger state of Texas outpaces Pennsylvania.
When I’m in a deer-infested area, especially in the fall when they are most active, or near dawn or dusk, I often employ a “drafting” technique to improve my odds. I will follow at a safe distance behind a larger vehicle going a similar speed. If a deer bursts from the roadside shrubs, there’s a chance someone better equipped will take the brunt. (On roads like I-80, this also has the added benefit of someone else being the first to show up on any State Police radar guns that may be lurking in those shrubs, along with the deer.)
In an interview with motorcycle riding instructors and safety columnists Ken Condon and Eric Trow that I posted on RevZilla recently, one reader said in the comments section that deer are at least somewhat predictable. They’re more active at certain times of day and certain seasons. And while that’s true, it’s not true enough to allow me to relax on Deer Alley. Proof of that was the 33rd deer I saw, which was very much alive.
My drafting technique paid off. I was following a large pickup truck when a deer decided it really, really needed to cross all four lanes of the highway. At 12:33 p.m. in late May. Which proves you can’t afford to worry about deer only in the fall or from dusk to dawn.
Fortunately, it was an open area, not wooded, so both the truck driver and I saw the deer coming across the median. He hit his brakes. It was a close call for both the truck driver and the deer, but a non-event for me.
When it comes to crossing Pennsylvania in a short amount of time, I still prefer the woodsy wilderness of I-80 to the trucks and tolls of the Turnpike. But the price of riding deer alley is eternal vigilance. And patience for finding a drafting partner going just the right speed.
