Hitting a Moose with Your Car Is Deadlier Than Hitting a Deer

Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) with animals are common, and crashes with large animals can cause serious injury or death to the car's occupants. Moose have long legs and a center of gravity that may be above a car's hood, which could result in a struck moose being flung into the passenger compartment.

Researchers used state data on MVCs and trauma registry records to evaluate MVCs with wild ungulates in New England. In Maine between 2003 and 2017, human fatalities occurred in 0.02% of 50,281 collisions with deer, compared with 0.37% of 7035 collisions with moose. After controlling for speed, the odds of death were 13 times higher after hitting a moose versus a deer. Driver impairment was the only factor associated with higher odds of death …