1988 was an interesting, fun, and sleepless year. I was working as a driving instructor and crew chief for Skip Barber Racing School.

I did a good bit of traveling around the country: Willow Springs International Raceway (left) in the desert surrounding Edwards Air Force Base in California twice, Sebring, Florida, home of the 12-hour IMSA race, Moroso Raceway Park (right) near Lake Okeechobee, Florida, a track surrounded by a gator-filled moat (I can tell you stories about this place) and then finally the northeast swing school which included Pocono International Raceway, Pennsylvania, Bridgehampton, Long Island, New York and home base, Limerock Park, Connecticut.

The northeast swing school required a lot of driving at night between the three race tracks and the presence of deer were always an ongoing hazard. On a dark back road in Pennsylvania at 2:00 am one morning, I  encountered huge groups of deer on the side of the road coming around blind turns. Running with my high beams on, I realized that by doing so I had far more reaction time to assess and react to each deer encounter because of the way headlights bounce off their eyes.

FYI: this same tactic works great for seeing that semi-hidden patrol car on radar duty waiting to catch you speeding. It doesn’t always work-usually too little too late, but sometimes it does!

I’ve been told by my hunter friends that April/May is a prime season for deer encounters which is why it is the topic of this month’s blog. We’ve all heard and/or seen the damage a collision with a deer can cause and we don’t want you to be our next statistic. Just remember though that when using this technique, you are focused and aware of oncoming vehicles and are dimming your lights accordingly so that they don’t become a “collision”!