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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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 20:12

same as braking sharply if you have a car close behind.

Yeah, ok, so if you're about to hit a child you just carry on because the law says you shouldn't brake sharply when you're being tailgated? What law books are you reading?

LittleLionMansMummy · 07/09/2015 20:29

MadeMan yes I stopped on the hard shoulder and found the owner as the dog initially ran off after I hit it but unfortunately had severe internal injuries.

I've had a few pigeons over the years but have usually avoided hitting animals. But the dog was just awful

Topseyt · 07/09/2015 21:42

I must admit my own cat can be an arse when it comes to cars. He doesn't run out into the road as far as I can see, but waits until I am bringing my car onto the drive and then parks himself directly in front of me, blocking the drive.

Only this evening I had to park briefly half on/off the drive and get out to move him.

My cat is a twat.

honeyroar · 07/09/2015 21:43

Personally I think you ought to be able to stop if there is something standing in the road, if you can't you're driving too fast. If something runs out in front of you that's a different matter, you should keep going, but I don't think I'm hard faced enough! What I can't forgive though, is someone who doesn't go back and checks the animal is dead. I would never do that. I've stopped and picked up animals (a cat and a dog) that were hit and left writhing in the road and taken to the vets. The cat survived and was reunited with it's owner, the dog died, but at least it wasn't cold and scared on a roadside. Someone ran over a squirrel in front of me the other week, it was dying but alive. I hated doing it, but I drove over it to make sure it died.

spanisharmada · 07/09/2015 22:22

YWBU to take your foot off the accelerator rather than use your break pedal, which would have turned on the break lights, indicating to the person behind that you were decreasing your speed. YWNBU not to swerve or break heavily. BUT I live rurally and daily drive a main road through an estate that breeds pheasants for hunting, i've never hit one!

spanisharmada · 07/09/2015 22:29

YWBU to just take your foot of the accelerator rather then touch the break, turning on the break lights and indicating to the driver behind that you were decreasing your speed. It's not an all or nothing pedal you know. YWNBU not to swerve or slam the breaks on.
You do seem to run things over quite a bit (and yes I do love rurally and daily drive down a main road through an estate that breeds pheasants, never hit one though) you might want to rethink just how safe your driving actually is.

spanisharmada · 07/09/2015 22:33

Ahh there's my first post wondered where it'd gone.

LaContessaDiPlump · 07/09/2015 22:37

Vegan here. I'd have felt awful about killing the fox but I wouldn't have swerved. If it comes down to me+friend+person in car behind vs. fox, then I choose me et al. Sorry fox.

LaContessaDiPlump · 07/09/2015 22:39

By the way, my cousins live in a mountainous area of Italy with terrifying hairpin turns. They uniformly drive faster at night because 'you can see the headlights and it gives you more warning if someone is coming'

thequickbrownfox · 07/09/2015 22:44

Some of you must be shit drivers - I live in a rural area surrounded by organised shoots and haven't hit a single thing. I'm careful on the road though.

DowntownFunk · 07/09/2015 23:05

You'll hit something if it runs in front of your car without warning whether you're a shit driver or shit hot driver.

MiscellaneousAssortment · 08/09/2015 22:24

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

I'm sorry it's just too funny :)

Are we to understand you vote conservative from this?!

'That'll teach them scroungers and benefit cheats. If they can't move out the way fast enough you know you've done the right thing, that'll be them disabled scum' (says the scum)

RyanORiley · 09/09/2015 00:14

YANBU A friend of mine lost her dad when he swerved to avoid a dog and crashed.

YABU if you didn't stop as soon as it was safe and go back t check that the animal was dead and not suffering horribly.

steff13 · 09/09/2015 01:37

Beebing would have been dangerous, need to take a hand off the wheel for that.

Really?

WhoAteMyToast · 09/09/2015 02:06

Sorry OP, I can't get past the 'peasants' in this post

[immature]

wickedlazy · 09/09/2015 02:13

I also think your driving isn't safe, for all the reasons pp's have pointed out. If you were my friend, were driving too quickly on a rural road in an area known to have wildlife on roads, didn't slow to let tailgater pass you, didn't beep to scare fox, didn't touch break to put break light on, ran over fox, didn't go back to see how it was, then showed no remorse at all that you had just possibly killed an animal... Don't think you'd be my friend any more. Yes, swerving would have been dangerous, but your callous attitude afterwards is the real issue?

ethicalsusan · 09/09/2015 17:18

You sound like an awful driver that shouldn't be on the road.

quietbatperson · 09/09/2015 17:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MakeItACider · 09/09/2015 19:28

Quiet - Same here! We ever so narrowly missed a HUGE bull standing in the middle of the road in outback Australia. The semi (B double truck) behind us wasn't so lucky - he barely limped into the next town. If we had hit it, we would not be alive.

Not to mention the bloody kangaroos that have a death wish (themselves or the car occupants - they're not fussy) and make a beeline for a travelling car, jumping AT the car at the last second. Those things are pure muscle and do serious damage to a car, even if you hit it at low speed.

honeyroar · 09/09/2015 20:21

I'd have thought hitting a fox at 50mph would do a fair bit of damage to a car.

UterusUterusGhali · 09/09/2015 20:27

FFS it's silly saying "what if it were a child".
I'd go into a tree to avoid a child. But the billionth pheasant, no, I'd not endanger myself or anyone else for one.

I've narrowly avoided a nasty accident when someone in front of me did an emergency stop to avoid hitting a pheasant.

honeyroar · 09/09/2015 20:52

But you SHOULD be driving with enough distance to stop when someone does an emergency stop in front of you. Otherwise you're too close.its that simple!

SmallLegsOrSmallEggs · 09/09/2015 21:07

No you should not swerve. If you swerve you are not fully in control of your vehicle.

Yes you perform an emergency stop if it is a child. That is an emergency. A fox isn't.

You may brake although you should consider the safety of doing so considering cars behind you. Yes you should tap your brake when slowing as a courtesy. However the other driver should leave enough room and be aware. It is their responsibility to be in cobtrol of their vehicle and clearly they were as they did not run into op.

No you are not supposed to slow for tail gaters. They are their own responsibility. You are meant to be in control of your own vehicle. Although you can tap.your brakes to warn them they are too close.

And no, pp if you ran into the back of someone who slowed unexpectedly on motorway then you were driving both too fast and too close. 2 second rule. Further if your reaction times are slow.

And no you are mot meant to drive really slowly on A roads in the country. It's dangerous. The op was doing 50 in a 60. (Presumably slower on blind corners).

steff13 · 10/09/2015 05:00

But you SHOULD be driving with enough distance to stop when someone does an emergency stop in front of you. Otherwise you're too close.its that simple!

This^ It's your responsibility to leave enough space between yourself and the car in front of you that you have time to stop if they choose to do an emergency stop. The reason for their stop doesn't matter; you're at fault if you hit them because you didn't have time to stop.

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