Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Google Street View confirms Elephantitis strikes deer population in Canada]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/08/google-street-view-confirms-elephantitis-strikes-deer-population/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/08/google-street-view-confirms-elephantitis-strikes-deer-population/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/08/google-street-view-confirms-elephantitis-strikes-deer-population/#commentsFiled under:



Let's all collectively thank the glorious bit of technology that is Google Street View for letting the world know about the rare and mostly undocumented breakout of Elephantitis in Canada's deer population. Unlike the human form of the disease which is generally characterized by the swelling of a single body part, deer Elephantitis apparently morphs the hapless affected creatures into real-life elephants. If you're driving in the area, extra caution is advisable.

It seems that this street sign was spotted by a Google Street View camera car somewhere in Vancouver. We're not sure how it got there or if it's nothing more than a funny prank, but it is most definitely real. Oh, and for the record, the proper medical term is really Elephantiasis (thanks, Wikipedia!).

[Source: Google Street View via Jalopnik]

Google Street View confirms Elephantitis strikes deer population in Canada originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>canadadeerdeer crossingdeer crossing signDeerCrossingDeerCrossingSignelephantelephant crossingelephant crossing signElephantCrossingElephantCrossingSignelephantsgoogle street viewgoogle street view signGoogleStreetViewGoogleStreetViewSignStreet view humorstreet view mapsStreetviewstreetview humorStreetViewHumorStreetViewMapsvancouverThu, 08 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Oh, Buck! Study says deer-automobile accident rate up by 18% over last 5 years]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/29/oh-buck-study-says-deer-automobile-accident-rate-up-by-18-ove/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/29/oh-buck-study-says-deer-automobile-accident-rate-up-by-18-ove/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/29/oh-buck-study-says-deer-automobile-accident-rate-up-by-18-ove/#commentsFiled under: ,



What do New Jersey and Nebraska have in common? If you said "absolutely nothing," you'd be right - on any other day but today. Turns out that the Garden State and the Cornhusker State share a very curious stat. Both have seen a 54% increase in deer-related automobile accidents over the last two years. That 54% increase is the largest in the nation, which shows that the problem of deer-related car crashes isn't confined to just one location, but rather a national problem.

According to a new State Farm study, the number of cars on the road has grown by 7% over the last five years, but the number of deer-related accidents has swelled 18% in that same time period. No reason why is given in the article, but we'd wager it's a combination of 1) more deer and 2) more and more humans living closer to deer populations. The study does, however, provide some pretty eye-opening statistics.

For examples, State Farm estimates that between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2009 there were 2.4 million accidents in the United States involving venison deer. In other words, that's one deer-car mashup every 26 seconds. The worst state for smashing into a deer is and remains West Virginia, where your odds of making contact with a Bambi-like creature are 1 in 39. Michigan remains second most deer-dangerous, though is twice as safe as West Virginia (odds are 1 in 78 that you'll make contact with a deer). And Montana has moved up three places in the rankings, from eighth to fifth. The safest state? Hawaii, where your odds shrink to about 1 in 10,000. Full press release with all the stats after the jump.

[Source: State Farm | Image: Hulton/Getty]

Continue reading Oh, Buck! Study says deer-automobile accident rate up by 18% over last 5 years

Oh, Buck! Study says deer-automobile accident rate up by 18% over last 5 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AccidentsDeerinsuranceState FarmState Farm InsuranceStateFarmStateFarmInsuranceTue, 29 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Colorado developing road kill prevention system]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/14/colorado-developing-road-kill-prevention-system/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/14/colorado-developing-road-kill-prevention-system/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/14/colorado-developing-road-kill-prevention-system/#commentsFiled under: ,

Roadkill is an ugly, smelly problem that can be expensive and flat-out dangerous for drivers. Outside of the occasional tall fence on the side of the road, there has been little to stop Bambi from chillin' in the middle of your local interstate. The state of Colorado is looking to change that with an ingenious new system that detects large animals on the freeway and warns drivers to be on alert. Colorado needs this technology, too, because up to 70% of its highway collisions involve animals.

The system uses an underground cable that senses large animals, then triggers electronic signs that give drivers a heads-up to the upcoming danger. Colorado will be testing the system on US-160, and the state has deployed radar detectors to see if drivers slow down when they receive the warning. If the system works, you can expect that it will proliferate in areas with high amounts of collisions between automobile and animal.

[Source: Green Daily]

Colorado developing road kill prevention system originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animals on the roadAnimalsOnTheRoaddeerelkroadkillTue, 14 Oct 2008 07:59:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: Rogue deer snatches victory from Pastrana at 2008 Snodrift Rally]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/30/video-rogue-deer-snatches-victory-from-pastrana-at-2008-snodrif/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/30/video-rogue-deer-snatches-victory-from-pastrana-at-2008-snodrif/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/30/video-rogue-deer-snatches-victory-from-pastrana-at-2008-snodrif/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above to watch the video.

After amassing a healthy lead over their competitors, Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom were able to play it cool for the second to last stage of the 2008 SnoDrift Rally last weekend. All was well as they made their way through the forest roads and fresh powder until one of God's creatures decided that now would be a good time to cross the ice-covered stage road. As the 2007 WRX STI careened down the road at over 60 mph, Bambi colliding with Pastrana's left front bumper, causing irreparable damage to the engine and ending the team's race as the Subaru coasted to a stop. We're not sure if it was Pastrana or Edstrom who let out the shriek just as the deer hit, but we've got to give them points for using far fewer expletives than we would've.

You can check the video after the jump and read a full account of the race over at Vermont Sports Car's website.

Thanks for the tip Chris!

Continue reading VIDEO: Rogue deer snatches victory from Pastrana at 2008 Snodrift Rally

VIDEO: Rogue deer snatches victory from Pastrana at 2008 Snodrift Rally originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>christian edstromChristianEdstromdeerrallystisubarusubaru deerSubaruDeertravis pastranaTravisPastranawrxWed, 30 Jan 2008 15:03:00 EST