Deer Collisions Are Increasing; State EV Rebates
Most of us consider ourselves urban dwellers and therefore don’t worry much about running into a deer (literally).
Not so for me.
After two close calls in the past four years, I’m more aware of the possibility of such a collision, especially when passing near those particular sites, one on Route 1A in Rowley and the other on Rte. 108 on the Amesbury-Newton, New Hampshire, line.
In one case, we saw the deer as we came around a corner, and in the other, we came over a rise in the road at 50 miles per hour.
The first time we eased around the deer. The second time, driving my 35-year-old El Camino, we came to a slewing, screeching emergency stop. Fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic.
Thirty years ago, when we were driving an old Chevy Suburban from Moultonborough to Tamworth, New Hampshire, a deer jumped across our hood. We never saw it until it was framed in our headlights as the front of the Suburban seemed to go under the flying animal. We still wonder just how close a call that was.
All of these encounters were at (or just after) dusk.
State Farm, the insurance company, says US drivers are 3 percent more likely to collide with a deer in the next year than they were in the last year (July-to-July).
Overall, the odds an individual driver will hit a deer are one in 169, and chances are much greater during October, November, and December.
West Virginia (one in 39) and Pennsylvania (one in 71) top the most dangerous areas.
Massachusetts ranks 45th on the list with a one in 624 probability, but our growing deer herd means that number makes such a collision 32.5 percent more likely than last year.
Maine is 28th on the list, Vermont 29th, New Hampshire 36th, Connecticut 38th, and Rhode Island 42nd.
The states where you’re least likely to hit a deer are Hawaii (one in 6,753), Arizona (one in 1,337), and Nevada (one in 1,054).
Dusk and dawn are the highest risk times.
State Farm concurs with colleague John Paul (the Car Doctor) that you shouldn’t rely on deer whistles, those little horn-shaped devices that mount on the front bumper, as deterrents.
EV Rebates
There is a program called Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV) that is aimed at promoting the use of zero-emission vehicles.
Eligible are battery electric vehicles (BEVs), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEV), and zero-emission motorcycles.
Rebates run from $750 for a zero-emission motorcycle to $1,500 for plug-in hybrids, and $2,500 for the Chevy Volt and Cadillac ELR. Also eligible for $2,500 rebates are the dozen or so all-battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on the market, including the Nissan Leaf and Tesla S.
The program has $1.86 million available for the fiscal year 2014-2015 and is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and administered by the Center for Sustainable Energy.
Details are available at mor-ev.org.
VW Beetle Classic Model
VW is offering a limited-edition Beetle Classic model, with a retro look and a starting price of $21,015 (including destination). It becomes the lowest priced Beetle and offers 17-inch “heritage’’ aluminum wheels, a rear spoiler, leather-wrapped shifter and handbrake levers, satellite radio, navigation, multifunction steering wheel, a two-tone brown leatherette and checked cloth seating surfaces, and six-speed automatic transmission. It’s offered in three colors—white, black, and silver.
A convertible version will go on sale in 2015.
Show Stoppers
A 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing was voted Best of Show (European) and a 1932 Auburn Boattail Speedster was voted Best of Show (American) at last Sunday’s 3rd Annual Boston Cup Concours on Boston Common. The Gullwing is owned by Dennis Nicotra and the Auburn by Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich. Boston TV personality Emily Rooney presented the Andy Rooney Award for Preservation (named for her father) to David Slarsky’s 1941 Plymouth Westchester Suburban Special Deluxe … Today at noon, the Falmouth Classic Car Club’s parade of classic cars heads down Main street to Woods Hole, then follows the shoreline along Vineyard Sound to East Falmouth … Also today, the Minuteman Section of the Mercedes Club of America takes over the grounds of Larz Anderson Auto Museum for Germanfest XXVIII, a celebration of all things Mercedes from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. … Next Sunday, Italian cars, motorcycles, and scooters return to the museum grounds for “Tutto Lite,’’ a people’s choice awards show … AltWheels has grown from a weekend event at Larz Anderson to City Hall Plaza to the East Coast’s largest gathering of corporate and municipal fleet managers. This year’s 9th annual event is Monday, Oct. 20, at the Four Points Sheraton in Norwood.
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