OPP - TWO MOOSE COLLISONS OVER WEEKEND IN ATIKOKAN AREA
#LSN_PublicSafety
ATIKOKAN, ONTARIO - May 28, 2018 (LSN) The Atikokan Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has responded to two moose collisions over the past weekend on Highway 11 East of Atikokan. The collisions took place during the dark evening hours. One of the vehicle occupants received minor injuries.
The Rainy River District OPP detachment would like to remind motorists that there are steps that you can take to help reduce the risk of a wildlife collision, especially at night:
- Prepare yourself mentally. Think about what you might do if an animal suddenly darted out in front of you.
- Reduce your speed. Speeding reduces the drivers' ability to steer away from objects on the roadway, it extends the distance required to stop and it increases the force of impact in the event of a collision.
- Watch for movement along the sides of the road and look for animals' eyes illuminating in the darkness.
If you do strike a large animal, you should:
- Pull off the road,
- Turn on hazard lights,
- If possible, illuminate the animal with your headlights,
- You may choose to carefully approach the animal to determine if it's dead or injured. If it's injured, back off. A wounded animal can be very dangerous. Police can attend to dispatch wounded wildlife.
- You may choose to remove a dead animal from the road so that it does not present a hazard to other drivers, when safe to do so.
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