 When Darkness Prevails |
When Darkness Prevails |
September 22, 2008Arcticulates ®Focusing on Alaska's BeautyAuthor: K. FieldsWhen Darkness Prevails!Hard to see Baby Moose Following Mama Moose in Evening (white x where momma moose is)
The reason I couldn't see very clearly was because there happened to be another vehicle behind me, following very close and the headlights from that vehicle were reflecting brightly off of all three of my rear direct mirrors. Pretty much blinding me from seeing past the front end of my vehicle. I was forced to slow down because I just couldn't see the road, which must have irritated the driver behind me, because he crept up even closer. I have one of those flip rear-view mirrors that can help with the headlight glare and I used it, but it didn't help, the driver behind was so close that his vehicle's headlights started to reflect off my front windshield, filling my whole car with blindingly bright light Bull Moose's Colors Blend Into Surroundings Very Hard to See at Night
I was struggling to see through the bright windshield to see if it really was a shadow in the road ahead of me, I was beginning to think I was mistaken, and then all of a sudden ...there they were... two moose standing in the road, not even 20 feet in front of me. I hit the brakes and prayed that I would miss them while swerving, I was also so aware of the vehicle behind me and was afraid I would be run into too. The two moose ...thankfully moved quickly enough to the side of the road, but it was so near a miss that one of my side-view mirror just barely missed the southbound end (tush) of a north bound moose..) It was so scary! My heart was beating so hard I thought I would pass out. The vehicle behind me must have seen the two moose also, because the vehicle immediately pulled back and drove a reasonable distance behind me. I am sure the near miss we had shook up that driver too. All this happened in seconds of time. Full Antlered Caribou blends Into the Evening Scenery
It is a really bad time of the year with the Moose, Caribou and Buffalo on the roads, they are very large animals, weighing anywhere from 275 to near 2000 or more pounds, and they are dark in color and blend into the dark surroundings. We don't have snow on the ground yet which would act as a contrast to the dark bodies of the animals and people,. We must train our eyes to watch for the glint of headlights in the animals eyes, or moving shadows on the road, which means we have to slow down to a reasonable speed. Buffalo Take a Rest From Their Wanderings Which Could be Disastrous at Night
When you run into anyone of these animals, a great deal of damage is done to the vehicle. And there is a very good chance you will not survive. So with the falling of the leaves, and the drop in temperatures we also have to be aware of the darkened nights,which means driving slower, being cautious about looking for unusual movement and light reflections while driving. We do not have street-lights on most of the roads and highways in Alaska, so we depend on our headlights, and the headlights of other vehicles to light the way. So staying a reasonable distance behind someone else is a must. We need to keep at least two car lengths behind the other cars or more so that we are not blinding the driver with our headlights, endangering them, us and our passengers. Even the Little Guys Can be an Unexpected Surprise
I sure would hate to see any more fatalities this year from moose in the road, it has happened many times where I live, and is very dangerous, the larger animals will come right through the windshields with the hooves kicking and crush or behead the driver or passengers in the car. The car ends up totally destroyed, and where we live vehicles are very important because it can be hundreds of miles to the nearest neighbor or small store and we do not have buses or taxi services.. Also during this time of year school starts, and there are many children waiting for school buses on the sides of the roads, they need to be wearing light color clothing and even better have reflective strips on their coats and boots, so that they can be seen. It is a horrible feeling to be driving along the roadways in the darkness and realize that someone is standing in the road. This time of the year is time to be very cautious drivers and pedestrians Later... K Fields See also: Here Moosey Moosey!
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