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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To run over an animal without a second thought and not swerve

199 replies

Kimbomc · 07/09/2015 08:49

I drove a friend back on Saturday , through a rural area nsl A road but quite narrow. A fiox came out in front, I took my foot off the accelerator but didn't brake as a car was too close behind me. Surprise surprise it didn't move and I heard a thump so we know what happened to it.

Friend seemed quite shocked that I didn't swerve or brake sharply, I said its just not worth it as could be very dangerous.

When these things happen my first thought is to hope it moves out of the way but to just remain as I am and don't do anything harshly. I do run over a lot of peasants that I don't feel great about but they do just wonder into the road.

So we were just chatting on what's app, she was saying she feels sad about the fox (we're both vegan) and I'm trying to explain how dangerous it would have been to do any different but she really doesnt get it.

I was right to do that right?

OP posts:
TenForward82 · 07/09/2015 18:27

sykadelic a second well-said. I didn't even pick up on the 'taking her foot off the accelerator' not alerting the car behind but it was bothering me for some reason I couldn't put my finger on.

Waltermittythesequel · 07/09/2015 18:43

Honestly if you're driving so fast that it's dangerous to take your hand off the wheel for the two seconds it takes to beep the horn, then you're driving too fast.

What if it had been a person or an animal big enough to damage your car? You'd have stopped then.

You didn't even attempt to brake?

I have driven on rural, country roads for most of my adult life and I've managed to avoid killing animals.

hackmum · 07/09/2015 18:43

The only thing that surprises me is this - if an animal ran out in front of me I would brake - or possibly swerve - automatically without thinking about it. I wouldn't have time to think "Shall I/Shan't I" or to consider the car driving behind me.

TenQuidProQuo · 07/09/2015 18:46

Am I reading a different thread?

I read the Thread title to mean that the OP didn't have a choice in running over the fox ie the way she meant it to read. I think some posters are trying to read a meaning that isn't there. The OP has explained this.

I can't see any indication that the OP didn't care about the fox?

As for the taking her foot of the accelerator and not warning the car behind by tapping the brake Hmm Confused. .... Taking your foot of the accelerator does not nessecerily mean your car is going to suddenly slow down. It depends on lots of things but to suggest that it's bad driving without knowing the details is daft.

shushpenfold · 07/09/2015 18:47

....wonder's what the fox said? (before it met it's untimely end)

TenQuidProQuo · 07/09/2015 18:48

Lol, I admit the OPs comment about her reasons for not beeping were a bit Hmm Shock

hibbleddible · 07/09/2015 18:49

I think you're thread title is deliberately goady, and different to your op.

You couldn't avoid hitting the fox without causing an accident, nobody would say you are unreasonable for that.

I would hope/assume that if the road was empty, then you would stop.

Animals can be dump. I have stopped in the middle of the road as a cat was playing chicken with my car. I tried bipping it and nothing, I had to get out of the car and pick up the dumb kitty and put in on the pavement. Death wish, I swear

SurlyCue · 07/09/2015 18:50

I would like to think logic would prevail and i would do what you did OP but i suspect my first instinct would be to brake, at least initially. I am very squeamish and i would be in tears if i ran over an animal. To my knowledge i havent done it yet.

tomatodizzymum · 07/09/2015 18:57

still chuckling @peasants.

I've only ever hit one animal, a racoon in the USA. It was heartbreaking. I was being closely followed and on two lanes that it was dangerous to swerve. I hoped it died quickly. With all other near mises I've swerved or slowed down, or stopped, sometimes it's just instinct. Living in rural areas with large populations of wild animals, I have had A LOT of near misses. I'd say you were unfortunate but I do run over a lot of peasants that I don't feel great about but they do just wonder into the road. is a bit ConfusedHmm....not making assumptions but perhaps you need to slow down!

Hitting a large animal could be fatal for you. Even a fox.

DowntownFunk · 07/09/2015 18:59

A deer ran out in front of me on a busy country road. I hit the accelerator and sped up rather than brake. This resulted in it hitting the rear corner of my car rather than the front and causing no damage. I think the deer was okay too. I did swerve when I was confronted with a huge cow in the middle of the same road right after a bend and nearly shit myself . I found out the ABS worked brilliantly in my new car, but I was very lucky there was nothing coming the other way. Again on the same road a pheasant hit the windscreen on the passenger side when we were doing about 60. My grandma and I were out for a run in the car and she nearly shit herself that time Grin . The time I hit a cat I got it and took it to the emergency vet. The owner wrote me a letter to say it was okay, just bruised (phew).

My dad used to hitchhike everywhere when he was a young un. He was picked up by an off duty police officer who asked him to drive his car as he was tired (this was in the late sixties). My dad was 17 or 18 and an inexperienced driver. He swerved to miss an animal and the older man bollocked him the rest of the journey about how dangerous that was and why you should never swerve or brake to miss a wild animal.

FaceFullOfFilleronthe45 · 07/09/2015 19:01

I do run over a lot of peasants that I don't feel great about but they do just wonder into the road.

Well that's one way to deal with the pesky underclass. Grin

ouryve · 07/09/2015 19:07

We've hit a couple of squirrels in the time we've lived here. Both were unfortunate enough to be on dual carriageway.

The crunch when they go under a wheel [barf]

HarrietSchulenberg · 07/09/2015 19:12

I do brake for foxes, and badgers. Last time I hit one it did £500 of damage to my front bumper then ran off. Bastard.

TenQuidProQuo · 07/09/2015 19:20

I regularly drive along roads where there is a lot of wildlife. At certain times of the year I almost always encounter pheasants on the roads and often come across multiple groups of deer. Even though I don't drive fast I have a awful lot of near misses. I'm not driving particularly far but often drive at dusk.

LittleLionMansMummy · 07/09/2015 19:22

My instinct is always to brake and tbh I don't think many people have the calm reactions you do op - it's a split second with little/ no conscious thought processing. I even braked to avoid hitting a large domestic dog on the A1 once which was incredibly dangerous. And I didn't actually manage to avoid it either, it had to be put down. I'll never forget how I felt after that.

ClusterFuckUp · 07/09/2015 19:24

wandering so did an old friend of mine! She didn't fail her test 8 times did she?!

ilooklikemrsploppy · 07/09/2015 19:25

YANBU - this from the person that swerved to avoid a dead hedgehog during a driving lesson.

MadeMan · 07/09/2015 19:27

I'm sure the law says somewhere that you're not supposed to swerve because it's dangerous; same as braking sharply if you have a car close behind.

snoozeyoulose · 07/09/2015 19:29

I don't blame you. Kill yourself and your passengers by causing a pile up or kill a fox.....Hmm is it really that difficult a question?!

Hellotherehowareyoudoing · 07/09/2015 19:42

At the risk of being glib. A relative of a friend was in a car accident caused by the driver swerving to avoid wildlife. The passengers in the back were killed. YANBU

Hellotherehowareyoudoing · 07/09/2015 19:44

Hmm At the people choosing to read it as the OP killing an animal for fun. As if that's what she meant.

MadeMan · 07/09/2015 19:46

"I even braked to avoid hitting a large domestic dog on the A1"

I think if you hit a dog then you have to report it, but anything else is fine.

MadeMan · 07/09/2015 19:47

Not 'fine' as in fair game for Deathrace 2000 type road kills.

LittleRedRidingHoodie1 · 07/09/2015 19:47

YABU and have no empathy for animals.

ProudAS · 07/09/2015 20:09

YA soooooo NBU to not swerve.

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