Before I go any further, I am aware that there is a lot of research which casts serious doubt as to the effectiveness of commercially sold automotive deer alerting devices. That being said, I live in an area populated by many deer and for $5, the cost is minimal and at worst it's totally useless but won't do any harm to anything. I have them on all our cars.

The problem with the MINI is that there is no inobtrusive horizontal surface to attach the typical 2 piece plastic deer whistle. I tried the front license plate bracket and it got knocked off. The only other place I can see is under the front bumper cover, but that will get knocked off after the first snow storm. Does anybody have any solutions? Are there other cheap passive devices which mounts differently on a vehicle? BTW, I won't install any of the more expensive electronic devices, it's too much expense and effort for something which is probably based on pseudo science.

 

Smacjboy, I am not familiar with the device in question but what about mounting it on a grill badge holder?

Pat

 

Friends who live in deer infested areas swear by the hard wired electronic ones. You can install them out of sight, like a car horn.

 

This is how any Co. make Millions of the public... Just think,,,, invent something and sell just one to each driver in the USA - retire next month.... at an early age..

 

found this when I "googled" the question... makes interesting reading....

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:...lnk&cd=3&gl=us

 

Unfortunately I don't think that would work. It has to be a horizontal surface. Here is an example of how to install http://www.dozealert.com/Install_sal.htm The other thing is that they are ugly, so you don't want them in a really obvious location.

 

I just received a notice from my insurance company (Progressive) stating that there was a high incidence of deer collisions in my area right now. They suggested several things for avoidance including using high-beams, but they specifically recommended against the use of deer whistles and other fancier devices. They said studies have shown them to be completely ineffective and that they can actually startle deer into jumping in front of cars. One final note was that statistically, your better off hitting the deer than trying to swerve and avoid. Evidently more people are injured and killed swerving out of the way than just hitting them.

 

You can try a front tow hook maybe. That way you can just remove it when in a city or something for fear of being pointed at.

 

True to a point, but it depends on your driving skills, reaction time, road condition, speed, and the vehicle you are driving. You are far more likely to be able to avoid it in a MINI than in most other vehicles.

 

Agreed! I'll take my chances with the MINI. On the other hand, I think I'd rather have my 16 year old daughter tangle with a deer than a tree in her Dodge Ram pickup.

What I was quoting came from some actuary somewhere who's trying to save the insurance company money.

 

The insurance coverage for a deer collision is covered under the collision coverage and if you go off road and damage the car it is covered under the comp coverage........usually cheaper to just hit the doggone thing......!

LOL

 

You got that bass ackwards.

Deer strike = comp claim = not at fault = no premium increase.

Object strike = collision claim = at fault = possibly higher premiums.

 

As someone who hunts, the whistles are a waste of money. The fact is a deer draws to light and they freeze and stair. Thats why right before you shoot a deer a hunter makes a light noise or whistle. The deer will freeze and look. If a deer is in your path, pray nail your brakes and duck.

Many years hunting and driving back roads, so far no strikes. So far.

 

A friend hit a deer in a small pickup. Where the deer got the pickup is unknown...

Seriously though, he was running high beams at the time. His impression was that the high-beams overwhelmed the deer and caused it to freeze in the path of the truck. If the deer had kept walking it probably would have avoided the accident. He thought he would have had better luck with low beams.

Hard to know what to do.

 

Well, what you say about a deer charging a Mini?
just wondering as I had a 2-pt buck pawing the ground and 'staring me down' this AM as I was walking to my car in the garage...

I ignored him, but wondered what he'd do if I charged him...

As for accident avoidence, I got my last car slowed from 45 to 15 before I tagged the left-rear of a large doe with my left front... the car was then christened "bambi"... another 6" and she wouldn't have gotten hit at all... but I got a hair sample for DNA matching if I ever find her again.

 

The last two posts make a good point.

It's a crap shoot folks. The deer happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, both of you pay. Deer pays with his/her life. You pay with your bank account and/or your health.

No whistle is going to prevent deer strikes. It just makes them freeze. If they freeze in the road, not good. As much money as insurance companies spend on deer claims, they've invested a lot of money in studies of those whistles... no conclusive evidence that they help.

High beems at least might help you see the deer earlier and give you a better opportunity to avoid it. But if you're driving fast, even those aren't going to do you much good.

And when it comes to hitting the deer or swerving to avoid it... tough call. Insurance wise, you're better off hitting the deer than a tree, of course. Besides, if the deer didn't freeze, he may swerve WITH you. But if you can swerve under control and avoid a deer that is frozen, I wouldn't tell you not to do that. But hey, it's a split-second decision and your instincts and reflexes will take over more than your conscious mind.

 

I've driven deer/elk infested roads for many years as my commute. I've had the whistles on some cars and some not. I think my statistics show more hits with the whistles for what that's worth. I will actively try to avoid the elk - I don't think the MINI will fare well! Generally I rely on the brakes first rather than a swerve. I've had them run into the side of me from off a bank.. not much to do about that...

I would like more light.. add driving lights? The fog lights are useless because I usually run high-beams for most fog because I know where the road is - I'm looking for eyes!

 

How many here have actually hit a deer?

 

Counting the ones that 'hit me' - only 3.
It was a rite of passage for my kids and each of my siblings growing up when we hit our "first" deer. My dad used to hit so many with his old '60 bug when I was a kid we called it scoop for the permanent dent in the front. Course they were thicker then and with the lights running off a 6v battery...

 

Those deer whistles don't work for deer, but they do for tigers and Bigfoot. Since installing them on my MINI I have yet to see either of them (but I have seen deer)

 

The reason why you haven't encountered Bigfoot is that they're primarily in the Northwest. But you're right, they do work for Bigfoot, as I haven't seen them here since putting the device on.

 

Geez, only 3? Two more and you're an ace.

 

2 months after I got my R56, BANG!

Luckily, it was a baby (unlucky for him). I happened to see its mother and sibling run across and I was slowing when the little guy ran across from the left. It was dusk, so there were dark shadows from the trees and it was difficult to pick him out. I was probably moving at 35mph when I hit the deer. His body was low enough that when I impacted, he pretty much just bounced away to the left. I felt nothing within the cabin, but there was light thump noise, probably the headlight as his head hit there. I pulled over and inspected. The front bumper was cracked slightly and the headlamp ring had popped off, but was intact. There was small dent in the hood, but it was replaced anyway, as the car was new and they wanted to rule out any seperation of the inner sheetmetal from the outer skin. The headlamp bracket was broken from the impact, but the housing was intact. Overall, the car did well and you cannot tell it has been in an accident since the repair. I was glad that I was able to slow down and that the deer was small. I now have an extra hood for an R56 with a small dent in the left front, but no paint damage. I plan to airbrush a likeness of the car and hang as art in the garage.

In response to the OP, I have always run deer whistles on all of my cars, but had not put any on the MINI yet before the accident. I have since mounted some Bell Laboratories whistles below the front bumper. They may get knocked off at some point, but they are cheap and easy to replace. As for the naysayers, there may be no evidence of deers reacting to these devices, but I have seen deer run from the road when approaching. May just be coincidence, or maybe they work. Who knows. Most of the deer accidents I have seen are from deer running into the side of the vehicle or in front of the vehicle from the side. Usually they are active at certain times of day. Dusk seems to be the most activity in my area. That is when I see them in the usual spots. Most of all, be aware and drive within the conditions. If you can't see something ahead, you should probably slow down. Stop talking on the phone, putting on makeup, drinking coffee, reading the map/newspaper/etc. Drive safe and enjoy that MINI!

 

Hmmm....I haven't seen either along side the road...maybe if I put one of the whistle devices on it might attract a Bigfoot? I live in the right area

 

Just remember deer/bear/elk/moose don't have headlights, tail lights or reflectors!