Spadea’s daughter takes his advice as she hits a deer in her Jeep

"Ten & two and run through." Now you have to take this advice the way it is intended, road conditions and other factors play a role in the decision you have to make if you encounter a deer on the roadway while you're headed to work or just trying to get home.

When I was taught how to drive, my driving instructor said if you are driving down the road and a deer jumps in front of your car, resist the urge to slam on the breaks and just maintain control of the wheel and run through it. He explained that if you slam on the brakes, the front of your car dips and the deer is more likely to end up on your windshield, or worse. Then there's the potential of the guy behind you rear-ending your car.

A few years ago, I put the idea to the test in a split second decision in my Jeep and punted a deer across the road. Seeing only a small dent in the fender of the Jeep, I decided that my kids would learn to drive in a jeep and manual transmission (the stick shift has nothing to do with the deer, but it's a great thing to teach young drivers).

The other night, my daughter Elizabeth (home for a few weeks from London) and my son were heading home around 8 p.m. when a deer jumped out in from of the Jeep. Thinking clearly and recognizing that there was a line of cars going at the same speed as she was, she just hit the deer, knocking it over and then rolling over it.

Although an animal lover, she knew it was the right way to handle the situation. Of course, when she got home, relieved that no one was hurt and the Jeep was not damaged, I of course said, "You're welcome." She gave me a strange look, but hey, don't parents deserve to get some of the credit when their kids do the right thing?

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Bill Spadea.

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