Not to stop on the motorway?

[Infinity234]

I was driving on the motorway today with my 7yo son on our way to a play centre. I was in the left hand lane and the deer ran out from the left side. I didn’t really have chance to react but braked slightly and braced for impact. The deer hit the car and bounced back into the hard shoulder. I was coming off at the next junction anyway and was very shaky, my son was crying, I thought it too dangerous to shop on the hard shoulder.

As I was exiting the motorway, the passenger that was in the car that had been behind me seemed to be shaking her head at me. I drove to the nearest safe place to stop then phoned my husband in a state who told me
to inform the police, which I then did.

Have I done anything wrong here? I can’t stop thinking about it. I feel terrible for the deer, I’m a real animal lover, but also really shaken up at how serious it could have been. The damage is quite significant to the car.

You absolutely did the right thing. What good would stopping on the hard should do? It’s dangerous to stop on the hard shoulder and you should stop only if absolutely necessary. Your car was still drivable, no other cars involved and no one seriously hurt (thank goodness). You did everything right in carrying on and coming off at the next junction and stopping somewhere safe. It must have been a very frightening experience. The deer population near me is getting out of control. There have been two reports in the last week of drivers hitting deer who have run out into the road. This is a main road in a fairly built up area, but with a country park nearby.

I can't see you have done anything wrong so YANBU in my opinion

As a PP posted out, Motorways are dangerous to stop on. Earlier this Year Me and DM were heading back to London, where I live, from Kent and an explanation type mark appeared on her dash so she pulled over.
We got out and luckily it was not too busy but it was still pretty scary there and, once outside the car, were aware of just how fast the cars and lorries are going.

You did the right thing, and I'm not sure what she wanted you to do differently tbh. Well done for staying calm and getting out of it safely.

If you had hit another vehicle, then yes it would have been appropriate to stop (where at all possible to do so safely) so you can exchange information. But in this case, you already have your own insurance details and the best thing was to get to a place of safety before assessing the damage.

I imagine it's badly damaged, but in all likelihood it'll be cosmetic only. Definitely you did the right thing.

Just to mention, I've worked in breakdowns and I'd have advised you to continue. The hard shoulder isn't safe and pulling over could easily lead to a fatality. Not worth it when there's no other vehicles involved and yours is functional.

I'm really sorry this happened to you. It sounds very stressful.

parking on the hard shoulder is dangerous, I would not risk the child's life.

Stopping on the hard shoulder (or live lane on a smart motorway) is extremely dangerous and should never be done unless you have no other choice.

It does not count as leaving the scene of an accident. You absolutely did the right thing.

I think you did the right thing.

I guess there was a chance if your car was damaged bits could fall off and present a hazard to other road users.

But if it were me I would have got the hazards on and moved at a relatively slow speed to the next exit, maybe along the hard shoulder.

Hard shoulders are dangerous places. Which is why the advice is always to vacate your car when it is static on the hard shoulder.

Your actions were correct.

Your own safety is first - get off at the next junction then notify police of the obstacle which thankfully wasn't on the carriageway.

Yanbu you did everything right and did really well I always worry that if I was in this situation that I'd do something stupid like swerve or slam the brakes.

You absolutely did the right thing. You got to a safe place and stopped.

It's not like you could do deer CPR. Your priority, quite appropriately, was your child's safety and the safety of other road users.

Always limp off the motorway if you can, especially if you’re so close to a junction. It’s far safer than stopping on the hard shoulder.

You did the right thing. Hard shoulders are bloody dangerous places to have to stop.

No it’s not.

Something similar happened to me on a normal road. A deer (young) bounced through a hedge at the side of the road and it was all so quick but it hit the side of my car bounced off and ran back where it came from. I was really shaken and surprised as this is not an area you would expect deer to be! I really didn’t know what to do.

Are you legally obliged to stop after hitting a deer? Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act of 1980 stipulates the requirement to report an accident and states explicitly that a driver must stop when involved in an accident in which “damage is caused to an animal other than an animal in or on that vehicle”

Correct, it also says this:

“In this section “animal” means horse, cattle, ass, mule, sheep, pig, goat or dog.”

So no, you don’t have to stop or report hitting a deer, in the same way that you don’t have to stop or report hitting a cat.

I saw this when googling earlier, I guess because all the above would have owners? The lady on the phone when I rang the police was lovely as I was pretty much in panic attack mode, she did reassure me that it wasn’t my fault etc. I think I was so shaken up because I realised how bad it could have been for us too. I do wish we’d have been in our bigger car though. New bumper, wing and lights needed!

Thing is the OP did stop and report - when it was safe to do so.

I really don’t see any benefit to stopping on the hard shoulder.

I hope you are ok OP, as said, I would have done the same.

Your no claims will take a bashing too. It’s classed as a ‘your fault’ accident, even though it wasn’t your fault, because your insurance won’t be able to claim the costs back. It happened to me some years ago and that insurance part was as upsetting as hitting the deer.

How horrible for you op, there are two stretches of dual carriageway near me which pass through a forest and deer step out on to the road all the time at night, it's really scary. If that passenger in the other car was shaking her head she shouldn't have been.

You absolutely did the right thing. If you are able you should always try to get off the motorway rather than stop on the hard shoulder.

It's always safer to leave the motorway and then stop, if that's an option. Cars on the hard shoulder are at high risk of being hit. You did everything right.

Agreed - you done the sensible thing IMO OP

As you were half a mile from the next exit (which you took) I think you did the correct thing. Risk stratification is so difficult in the moment, but, I think it’s completely reasonable to think driving half a mile with a potentially damaged car is safer than stopping on the hard shoulder.

I was on the motorway and the car in the middle lane had stopped so I slowed down (50mph zone, three lanes), it was some sort of bird (didn't look like duck and didn't look 100%). Anyway it was busy and only saw the bird as it walked past the stopped car so I couldn't stop (it would have been dangerous to and no hard shoulder) and afraid I ran over it. I continued on and was taking the next exit anyway. After I did and was waiting to join the traffic a woman pulled up screaming at me. I don't know whether she was the car behind me yelling because I almost stopped suddenly, or because I didn't stop or whatever. I mean it was a bird on a very busy fast road!
What did the guy expect you to do?