I'm not surprised. Lets face it...when we throw a leg ovr that bike saddle we do so knowing regardless of experience and riding gear, if you have an issue at any speed no amount of gear ultimately will avoid the inevitable.

Speaking of which I'm heading to RI again to stack wood for my mother who in her 70's still insists on heating with wood..she kills me,lol. Sooo it'll be that same 70mph parking lot from Boston to Worcest..wish me luck.

Sorry to hear any MClist get hurt/go down.
Condolences to the familys.
I had 2 seasons in Upstate NY - my first 2 years of ownership. I mentioned how I almost got skewered by a big buck one night. That taught me that Deer during the RUT - while Bucks have antlers = danger.
Also, not all Deer hits are accidents- deer aim for you - seems the motorcycles might be something it thinks it can take on.
Until they come up with a "legal" front fender mounted laser vaporizer we all have to be careful.
Deer wouldn't be the ONLY thing I'd like to vaporize... but that's another subject...LOL

ONE thing I'd like to say about riding at night and I've done it since I was a kid. I always scan the edges of the road - way ahead looking for the "eyes" of any animals. They reflect just like a road reflector - I know I'm lucky - but sometimes you make your luck. I've seen trouble in time to prepare for an aggressive avoidance maneuver. The eyes were the trigger- don't be shy - use the horn - flash the high beam - rev the engine - let them know your coming. An animal getting ready to dart across the road usually thinks twice if you honk at them... But - if you got a Kamikaze anything and you're on a bike the best thing you can do is get rid of as much speed before a collision as possible. I've trained myself over many years to recognize the reflections of the eyes. To see it in action- at night shine a flashlight at any animal - dog - cat - moth... you can see the reflections - the eyes light up.

Great advice RK!

I ride at night as well, just to get to/from work. I enjoy the night rides here in Texas... it's cooler and less stressful. When I can I use cars/trucks like a running back uses guards and tackles... just far enough back to avoid any garfoon they may run over.

Thanks,

I do the same thing when possible, using the cars as blockers not only to plow over any unlucky animals but to also keep oncoming traffic away. Ever since the texting craze too many head-ons. If you're following a car or truck just far enough to be able to see under the back in case like you say there is actually something in the road... better than nothing.
Never ride behind what you can't see around... except on 2 lane back roads...

It's nice when your rolling on the highway around 80 mph and you see some joker looking down at his phone texting. The other "nice" rode drama is when your on the highway full of traffic, no one is driving particularly bad, but one of the cages around you is smoking some skunk weed. You don't know which one, but you know it's close cause the smell is keeping speed with you.

And its by accident you're following skunk weed vehicle,lol

Maybe subconsciously I am actually following the fumes rather than just sharing the roadway with the Dobie brothers?

To each his own, but I lost my desire for it years ago. It would cost me my career and it was never that important to me. I like beer... it makes me a jolly good fellow. I haven't even got a buzz in 5 years. I see that there is a good chance that three states will legalize maryjane for recreational use in November. That will be a culture shift in this country.

Better than hitting a skunk on your bike... can't even think about how bad that stinks...
I've had dogs my whole life and we lived in a suburban area - plenty of wild life - skunks, possum, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons... you can see where this is going... a couple of the dogs got skunked over the years and just being near them the stink would jump on you.
That stink gets caught in your nose and it stays there...

I had a skunk greet me in the garage one morning at 0330 when I was heading out to work. He was walking around my feet like our cat does. I thought it was the cat. I flipped on teh light and it scared both of us took while to get the smell out.