In my contacts with moose on the road, I have noticed that they don't even try to get out of the way like whitetails do. They are especially hard to see at night, and that's when they roam around the most. If you have never seen a moose up close, you might not realize that they are really huge animals. This was a small one. I didn't take these pictures and I don't know the fate of the occupants, but the fate of the moose is obvious. The pictures should spark some conversation about preparedness when traveling in remote areas.

Wow, on the pix.

I've killed more deer with my car than with my firearms.

Check out the effectiveness of the reflective stripes on the officers' clothing. I gotta get me a vest with some of that stuff on it for my deep canyon hiking outfit.

Ouch!

One of the HUGE (no pun, but groan) problems with moose are the leg height vs say a deer - you hit a deer, they tend to stay in the grill, sometimes go under, and if they do go over the hood, the angle causes them to hit the hood, and then slide up, so they almost never go through the windshield

Moose, with their long legs, almost always go OVER, and are high enough that they almost always hit the windshield - guess what happens then?

In the rural highways of my AO, there are moose everywhere and not a year goes by that people are seriously injured and killed by them hitting a moose at speed. These moose can weigh 1000 lbs or more and reach 6 - 7 feet in height as measured to the large noticeable hump on their back.

I fortunately have only had one small encounter some years ago with a moose where I clipped it with the front bumper on my full size Jimmy. Luckily for me, my truck and the moose, there was no real damage as by time of the collision Ithe truck had slowed down considerably. We were worried that although moose seemed to be okay, that it could be injured. I called the local CO who appeared about 1/2 hour later and together we walked and searched for the moose down the ravine and semi open plateau area on the side of the highway where we had seen it run off into. After an almost hour long search with the approaching darkness and with no sign of or blood trail fom the moose, we came to the conclusion that the moose was probably ok and would live on.

Most of these collisions around here could be avoided if people obeyed the bountiful signs that warn them of moose areas next to the highway corridors and to keep their speeds down in which the typical posted night driving speed advisory is 70 km (40 mph) or lower. This is also more relevant in winter when road conditions can become treacherous and moose like to travel along the roads as it easier for them to walk along a regularily plowed road then it is to flounder through the typical deep snow off the highway. In some parts of the north where there is a lot of snow, it is piled so high beside the highway that it creates a tunnel effect and the moose have no place to escape from approaching vehicles and thusly become prime collision targets. Another reason moose (and other animals) prefer roadways is that they like to lick the salt which is put down to melt the snow and ice.

Most people do not know that due to a moose being much taller then a deer, moose eyes do not reflect vehicle headlights like deer at your eye level do which makes moose spotting that much more difficult at night

In terms of being prepared for travel in remote areas, having a vehicle in good shape, which includes winter tires...not all season types if you travel in snow and mountain country. Having extra food, water, warm clothing, sleeping bags, blankets, proper footwear and other kit in your car (which has been discussed here many times) can make a big world of difference in regards to your safety and comfort if you find yourself stranded after hitting any wildlife or perhaps when you have become lost or your vehicle simply breaks down et al.

Finally and more or less on topic, hitting a full size bear (upwards of 600 lbs around here for black bears) at speed with today's smaller vehicles is also very hazardousness and in some areas it is the highest cause of morality rates of these animals.

Notice the hatchet on the front seat? I wonder what it hacked as it flew up there?

I also carry a hatchet among other things in the truck, but all of it is containerized in a rubbermaid tote and cargo-netted to the floor in the back.

Another really tricky and dangerous animal at night is bison. I know bison no longer roam as they did in the past, but every summer I am driving through Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park (Black Hills of South Dakota). I can guarantee they blend in exquisitely with the highway asphalt. A collision with one - a fully grown bull weighs in the vicinity of 4,000 pounds - would be nasty.

Bison herds use the roads for travel and I can vouch that, not only "you can't roller skate in a buffalo herd" you can only wend your way through them at maybe 5 mph.

A hatchet is a useful tool, but it would be foolhardy to carry one loose in a vehicle, lest it be thrown around and cause injury.
In this case, perhaps the hatchet was used by the vehicle ocupants, or their rescuers, and discarded or forgoten when the photos were taken.
If the moose was not killed outright, I hope someone had the decency to shoot it.

I am glad that we dont have moose here ! similar accidents have occured with domestic cattle however.

Gawd, that's nasty. Those pictures sent a cold shiver down my spine.

EDIT: Why the heck didn't the airbags deploy?

Doug - The moose being as tall as it is, the airbag controls in the bumpers probably never came into play.

And holeee crap on toast. I can only hope the people involved were ok.