Animal Killers on the Road?

[peewee]

But I am more important than any critter - so when it comes down to me or them, IT'S THEM!

Yeah, there it is. I worked with a lady years ago (everything is years ago for me).....she totalled her car trying to miss a dog, into the ditch, a rollover. She got hurt a little bit, nothing serious.

When she came back to work I asked her, "So, did you miss the dog?"

She looked real sad and said, "No."

So she was like me - don't hit anything. It must be a learned reflex. I guess my reflex is the wrong one. I just can't think that fast.

[BluLightning]

I pretty much try to avoid hitting anything living if at all possible. I'll tell you what, there are some damn lucky squirrels on my street!

[moparmaniac07]

One thing folks here in Kansas learn is to hit the deer - don't dodge it.
With all the bar ditches along most country roads, roll-overs are a sure thing - and many die from the wreck without ever hitting the critter.
Smaller stuff is one thing.... I have pretty good reflexes, and get out of the way most of the time.
But I am more important than any critter - so when it comes down to me or them, IT'S THEM!

On my way back to my parents' house 2 weeks ago, a guy put his Subaru in a ditch right next to their driveway because a deer was on the road. This road has a speed limit of 15, and it was right before a bend he should have been slowing down for anyway. Definitely did more damage swerving than actually hitting the deer.
Though maybe he just missed the turn and made up the deer story. I hadn't thought of that until now.

[HoosierL98GTA]

If nobody is coming I will gently veer or hit the brakes,not both !I EVEN TRY TO MISS THE WILLY WORMS in the fall although I don't slowdown for them, just try to straddle them. they probably die from air turbulence anyway though. If its a Snake well yeah I will try to hit it. I HATE SNAKES.

[Deaf Bob]

2 deer stories...
First one, riding home from work in a brand new 74 Nova 350/4 speed.. Guy was going 90 in the boonies...bam wham..over the bumper into the radiator.. Mama deer and 2 unborns popped out...

2nd story...
Driving to a water spring to fill my drinking jugs and cooking water jugs.. My water has alot of sulphur in it, making the kitchen and bathroom smell like somebody didn't flush a dump job.. Drinking with a couple buddies same road. Maybe 3 miles from the above story.. 65 Bel Aire does not respond to quick steering especially when hard braking.. Drifted into the oncoming lane.. Damn deer hurries to cross.. I drift back into my lane, bastard changes it's damn mind! I yank the wheel back to the oncoming lane...BOOM ! Hit it.. Both lights on the right side were out... Got stopped, one buddy goes to the deer that is flailing.. I take my floding knife and cut it's throat..2 city boy buddies ready to chuck their lunch... I say, " there is one SOB that is not getting in front of me.."
I put the left hi beam into the right low beam spot, they filled my jugs FAST, as we left, the county mounty was looking for "an accident"...
I hate deer on the road, in my garden or on my plate, except Nebrasky or Kansas deer, those I like on my plate!

[70chevyC-10]

I wiped out a whitetail at about 55 mph in a 64 Lincoln. Michigan has more deer than - jobs - for sure. Found it about 150 yards away on the opposite side of the road wrapped around a mailbox post.

[bishir]

I try not to hit anything unless it's a poisonous snake near my house. In that case I ran over a cottonmouth last week. I moved a baby turtle today.

Last week was interesting. I turned into the neighborhood and there were literally 1000s of little hermit crabs in the road. It sounded like driving on corn flakes.

[Scott Liggett]

I'm not going purposely hit an animal, but I will NOT crash my car to save an animal.

[Deaf Bob]

I'm not going purposely hit an animal, but I will crash my car to save an animal.

Wrong move Scott, LEO told me better the animal than the car or YOU...
Usually it is minor that way.. Swerving to miss a deer or a dog may actually start a chain of catstrophic porportions...
They do have a thing called " failure to maintain lane of travel"

[SuperBuickGuy]

I was raised on a farm (literally) so I have kind of a liberal attitude about animals and how tasty they are.... however, a bit of caution for the snake-runner-overers.... Did you know that one of the "things you need to watch for" if you're a tire guy is snakes? run over a rattle snake, get a flat, take it to the tire store. Tire guy dismounts the tire, runs his hand on the inside of the tire looking for the "nail" and gets poisoned. Happened in Eastern Washington with amazing frequency (you'd figure once ever dozen years to weed out the Darwin award winner, but no, more like every week another gets bit). Last one I remember, a guy had a puncture in the side of his tire; apparently the snake had struck at the tire, got caught (oh that image is just priceless to me), then the teeth broke off in the sidewall. Guy who started the repair didn't notice what was making him bleed for almost an hour.... lost most of his hand.

As for the rest of the roadkill cafe, the most entertaining was seeing a cougar get hit by a semi doing 60 mph. Cat never knew what hit it - one piece ended up against the meridian, the other on the shoulder. State patrol (you call them in so the food bank can harvest the game) is called - now this I read about the next day in the paper - apparently there was a knock-down, drag out fight between two of Klickitat County's more colorful members (tree doesn't branch there) over who was going to get the pieces of the cat. Still, was an amazing thing to witness - big poof of blood, and two pieces spinning off the roadway