In the road ahead, you see a huge elk and a wild boar. What should the average cautious driver do?
Thanks are due to Sweden’s Älgskadefondsföreningen (‘Elk damages fund association’) for the answer to this important but neglected question: the average wild-boar collision costs $4,700 to repair, while an elk costs $3,700 and a deer only $2,200.
“The reason that wild boars cause the greatest material injury is that the wild boar’s centre of gravity sits at the same height as the car’s front end. The impact is strongest where the car’s most expensive components are housed,” explained a researcher.
The obvious remedy is to drive off the road, as far as necessary, to try to collide with a regular deer instead. This solution is chosen by 6 out of 7 in Sweden, where last year’s accident toll included 5,118 with elk, 2,462 with wild boars, but 30,982 with deer.
4 responses so far ↓
1 TA // Jan 28, 2009 at 11:35 am
On the other hand, a fully grown elk is so tall that its trunk will probably end up hitting the windshield. Go fast enough and you’ll have half a ton of elk in your lap.
But it’s probably true that repairing the car will cost your heirs less than it would have cost you, had you just ruined the engine by hitting a wild boar.
2 Betsy Devine // Jan 28, 2009 at 1:59 pm
You make a very good point.
Do you have a phone number for the Älgskadefondsföreningen? I would like to nominate you for their Golden Elk Prize.
3 TA // Jan 28, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Very tempting: a “specially designed glass sculpture” and a 20000 SEK “stipend”. But I’m shooting for the stars. IgNobel or bust!
4 Betsy Devine // Jan 28, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Very tricky, I see they tailor the amount so that you don’t really have enough to hit an elk (29ooo SEK).
Love to see you come get an Ig some day!