The deer are running.

I think of it as an "after dark" problem and saw plenty of them last night. But they are also a daytime problem.

Still, certain, notoriously busy intersections seem unlikely places for encountering deer. At least, that's what I would have thought about the intersection of state route 33 and Sweetmans Lane (cnty. route 527), until this morning around 9.

I can't remember whether the light was red or green. It might have just turned green. I was heading east, in the rightmost lane because I was taking the jughandle around Millhurst Mills to go north on 527. Near the Manalapan Engine 1 and the ever-popular Gus's Diner.

If it's true that the light had just turned green, then it's likely that westbound traffic on 33 approaching the intersection did not start from a full stop. And the intersection is at the crest of a hill.

The most difficult adjustment for me as a driver when I came to NJ was the "high speed" intersections: traffic signals at 50 or 55 m. p. h. As I wrote to my friend who was visiting NJ from Western NY last summer:

when your red light turns green, look both ways before proceeding through the intersection. Lots of people in big heavy trucks run lights. Also, yellow lights are about twice as long here as in upstate NY (which probably contributes to people running them!), so don't stop short at a yellow light especially with cars tailing you.

So, high speed may explain why the deer sailed clear across the divided highway into the leftmost eastbound lane! I saw the impact and the "brown flimsy thing" fly and bounce around. It looked almost like a brown piece of paper but I could tell that it had considerable mass or weight by the way it moved and fell.

The dead deer landed in front of a car which might have been stopped or slowly rolling, anticipating the light change. The driver quickly applied the brakes and cars behind honked and swerved. I was afraid that cars would come into my lane from two lanes over but that didn't happen. There were two other deer running around the intersection, quite disoriented and scared. One ran clear across Gus's parking lot and the other zigzagged through the jughandle, right in front of me but I was cautious, before following the other deer. It's hard to say which way they were originally headed. I almost suspect that they were headed north but got turned back by the accident. I guess I say that because the first one got as far in that direction as he could before getting clobbered and the other two did an about-face.

So, I got through the intersection and, quite frankly, wondered what happened to the car that actually hit the deer. I saw some windshield glass on the eastern edge of the intersection and looked westward as I passed through. I saw a minivan / SUV type of vehicle on the side of the road quite a distance from the intersection. Another reason to believe that the car had entered the intersection at full speed, i.e., at least 50 m. p. h.

I thought that I ought to drive down that way and make sure that everyone was alright. I felt as if I was in the best position, having seen the accident and traveling a route that put me in their direction. But my reflexes weren't quick enough to make the turn. Besides, I reasoned that the careful way that they pulled off indicated that they were ok. The deer itself got the worst of it. Probably someone on their way to work; 33 West is a major route to the NJ TP.

But, next time I should have my wits about me and instead of just sitting back, thanking God that I missed any damage, I need to check out the people who were affected.