I ran over a squirrel, and I don't feel real good

Mmmmmm ... road kill. ;D

Wild animals like squirrels, rabbits and armadillos, I don't worry about. There are plenty of those where they came from.


I hit a dog a few years ago and felt horrible (but I didn't kill it thankfully; I saw the same dog a few weeks later, still out chasing cars.)

 

I still remember during drivers ed class when the instructor had me driving through a residential neighborhood. A squirrel darted out into the street and I instinctively swerved and braked. The instructor, who was a gruff old man nearing retirement, yelled, "What the hell did you do that for?" I meekly replied that I was trying to avoid the squirrel. He said, "Don't do that. If you do, you're damn liable to get in an accident. Better the squirrel than you." And that has stuck with me.

 

I've driven over squirrels and hit a couple birds.

I've also had the "keep your wheels straight and hope for a miracle" actually come true.

My brother and I were driving on a winding road at about 40 mph through some pretty dense forest. A smallish cat ran out in front of us, heading from the right side of the road to the ditch on the left.
I tapped the breaks instinctively as the front passenger-side wheel closed in on the cat.

No thump-thump.

In my mirror, I saw the cat dart off into the woods. It had managed to run between the passenger-side tires and emerge from under the back of the car.

Tragedy avoided.

 

"I thought we had a deal!"

The year: 1998.

I wanted a classic car for a long time, and finally found one: a 1962 Buick. Spent the day at the DMV, got it all registered. Three hours later, I'm driving to meet up with some friends. I live in a farm town, so it's all back roads and fields. I'm doing about 40 when all of a sudden who walks across but Bambi. No time to swerve or anything. Just slam on the brakes (obviously they all lock up) and watch as I plow into the deer. I remember it was like slow motion...the deer turning to look at me, my NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!, and then the deer's legs going straight up in the air. With the smell of rubber heavy in the air, I get out to look and see the deer lying on the side of the road.

My two-ton Buick? A hole about four inches in diameter in the grill, and one of my highbeam lights is pointed into the trees. That's it. No scratches, no dents, nothing.

I still contend I feel safer driving that car than my truck with the airbags and safety features and whatnot.

 

Simon, you did the right thing. Keep your wheels straight, but be sure to maintain your speed.
I always have these visions of squirrels running in the road before my right front tire, under the car and between my left tires. I think they've, the smart ones anyways, judged their pace with the rate of the car and know what they're doing.

 

We're still waiting for your punishment from Starman

 

I holler out the window: "Squirrel, don't play in the road." After that, it's up to them.

 

It's a squirrel. Kill all you want – God will make more.

 

My driver's ed instructor's advice: The only thing you EVER swerve to miss on a narrow is road is something the size of a deer or larger.

Otherwise, the damage to your car is going to be worse from running into a ditch than it would be from hitting the animal.