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Original poster

Should I have slammed on my brakes to save the hare?

76 replies

Hummusontoast · 15/10/2022 19:57

Driving down the A1 (single carriageway) at 60mph and it runs out in front of my car. I had a car behind me. I slow down to say 40 and it looks like it is going to make it then bang. I don’t know what happened. I think it either stopped and darted backwards or my judgement was faulty in road positioning terms. I could have slammed on my brake but I don’t know if the car behind me would have had time to stop or not. Maybe I should have tried positioning myself a little further to the left. I’ve not been driving for long and I’m gutted. Feel like a shit driver 😞

OP posts:
NewWateringCan · 15/10/2022 20:44

I would do, and have done, emergency stops for animals. I'm happy to do that. They're important and they deserve to live. It's not their fault we're destroying their habitat. I've also got out of the car and stopped other drivers until the animal got off the road. I don't care if it inconveniences them. I often wonder what I'd do if there was a car on the other side of the road and I had to swerve. Hope I never have to find out.

Abei · 15/10/2022 20:47

You're not supposed to stop but it's often difficult to go against that instinct.

Kanaloa · 15/10/2022 20:55

NewWateringCan · 15/10/2022 20:44

I would do, and have done, emergency stops for animals. I'm happy to do that. They're important and they deserve to live. It's not their fault we're destroying their habitat. I've also got out of the car and stopped other drivers until the animal got off the road. I don't care if it inconveniences them. I often wonder what I'd do if there was a car on the other side of the road and I had to swerve. Hope I never have to find out.

Seriously? Wtf.

Hawkins001 · 15/10/2022 21:02

Sometimes it's unfortunate, I believe the highway code is if it's safe to stop or slow down.

megacat · 15/10/2022 21:14

You could have caused a huge fatal pileup at the speed you did drop to.

People not keeping a safe distance from the car in front is what would cause a pile up, not OP stopping.

What a stupid over dramatic comment she dropped from 60 to 40, do you never encounter bends or other conditions that require you to slow down on country lanes?

XenoBitch · 15/10/2022 21:18

Kanaloa · 15/10/2022 20:55

Seriously? Wtf.

Show quote history

The reality is that if something comes out infront of your vehicle, you put the brakes on. Your brain does not care what it was.

Gindrinker43 · 15/10/2022 21:21

When I did my blue light driving course we were told not to break for anything smaller than a deer. Sudden braking at that speed could cause a much bigger accident that run over wildlife

zurala · 15/10/2022 21:25

NewWateringCan · 15/10/2022 20:44

I would do, and have done, emergency stops for animals. I'm happy to do that. They're important and they deserve to live. It's not their fault we're destroying their habitat. I've also got out of the car and stopped other drivers until the animal got off the road. I don't care if it inconveniences them. I often wonder what I'd do if there was a car on the other side of the road and I had to swerve. Hope I never have to find out.

Same. And I've never killed anything. But I also drive with awareness for animals darting out as I live rurally and so they are rarely a total surprise when they appear.

greenacrylicpaint · 15/10/2022 21:28

how did you pass your driving test?

anything the size of a fox or smaller- keep going. don't break or swerve. it's too dangerous to you or other traffic.

a deer can do a lot of damage to a car, swerve or slow down, depending on teaffic situation.

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 15/10/2022 21:35

What a stupid over dramatic comment she dropped from 60 to 40, do you never encounter bends or other conditions that require you to slow down on country lanes?

Of course I do. But OP was driving on the A1 which is definitely not a country lane! The speed limit is 70 with many many flying along at higher.

Kellie45 · 15/10/2022 21:39

It is actually an fence if you cause an accident while breaking for an animal. Just t ok bad I’m afraid. I hit a cat and killed it when it ran in front of the car. Dented the car. Then someone did the same to our cat. Just accidents.

GucciBear · 15/10/2022 21:41

Yes, brake. The driver behind ought to have allowed enough stopping distance.

incognitopurple · 15/10/2022 21:49

It’s situational. Instinct is to brake. I would probably always brake. You are however not supposed to for a small animal.

If you hit a dog or anything large enough to block the road or cause a hazard you must stop and phone 999.

If you were doing 20 or tops, 30, you should’ve stopped. Anything faster and it’s really hard but the only thing to do is keep going ynfortunately, otherwise you might be putting yourself and those behind / and in the other lane at risk.

The exception to this is any obviously large animal ie cow or deer as they could damage your vehicle or cause an accident potentially if you hit them anyway.

Try and put it out your head, it won’t have known anything about it. Could’ve happened to anyone. Hugs

MsAdoraBelleDearheartVonLipwig · 15/10/2022 21:51

I hit a hare once. It darted out across the road so I braked and swerved to go behind it. There was nobody else on the road. The bloody thing doubled back and I went right over it. 😢

In my twenty five years of driving I’ve hit a squirrel, a weasel, the hare, a rabbit, I had a pheasant lodge itself in my grill and a blackbird hit my windscreen that I didn’t even see coming, the bang made me jump out of my skin. Oh and I had a pheasant run into the side of my car from the end of the hedge. They’re not blessed with any intelligence at all, those birds.

My husband had a deer land on his car. He saw one in the road ahead so he slowed down and then one leapt out off the verge and landed on his car. It ran off so no idea if it was hurt but it made a good dent in the bonnet.

MayISuggestSomeThickCutSteakChipsToGoWithThat · 15/10/2022 21:56

I know they say don't slam on your brakes or swerve to avoid an animal in the road, but sometimes I think instinct just kicks in. I narrowly missed a hare a few weeks back. It ran across the road and got across safely just before I approached it. Then it decided to hop back out in front of my car. I wasn't going fast but instinct took over and I literally slammed the brakes on to avoid hitting it.

Shade17 · 15/10/2022 22:00

anything the size of a fox or smaller- keep going. don't break or swerve. it's too dangerous to you or other traffic.

Absolutely this. I’ll lift off the throttle but nothing more when travelling at NSL. If you’re in a cul-de-sac at 15mph with nothing behind you then it’s reasonable to stop for a cat etc.

BonesOfWhatYouBelieve · 15/10/2022 22:02

MrsRhodes · 15/10/2022 20:16

To other posters - Surely if a person behind runs into you when you slam on your brakes then they are too close to you? (My driving instructor always pressed home the importance of staying far enough back that if the person in front slammed on for a child running out then you wouldn't run onto them causing an accident).

Yes, but having the moral high ground of "well you were driving too close!" doesn't really help when they've slammed in to the back of you.

Original poster
Hummusontoast · 15/10/2022 22:02

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 15/10/2022 21:35

What a stupid over dramatic comment she dropped from 60 to 40, do you never encounter bends or other conditions that require you to slow down on country lanes?

Of course I do. But OP was driving on the A1 which is definitely not a country lane! The speed limit is 70 with many many flying along at higher.

This part of the A1 is single carriageway with a speed limit of 60mph.

OP posts:
Somanysocks · 15/10/2022 22:10

I'll echo that if people drove properly with the required distance between vehicles they would be able to stop in time.

My instinct would be to brake to avoid hitting any obstacle in the road, whoever is driving behind me is responsible for their own actions.

Original poster
Hummusontoast · 15/10/2022 23:11

Getofftheladder · 15/10/2022 20:06

No you should never hard brake for an animal if you’ve got a car behind. I lost a family member that way.

How tragic. I’m sorry for your loss 💐

OP posts:
Kanaloa · 15/10/2022 23:13

XenoBitch · 15/10/2022 21:18

The reality is that if something comes out infront of your vehicle, you put the brakes on. Your brain does not care what it was.

Show quote history

No, the reality is if you get out of your car to ‘stop other drivers’ while a rabbit crosses the road and seriously consider swerving into oncoming traffic to avoid a pigeon you’re incredibly stupid and selfish, and causing a massive risk to everyone else on the road.

Original poster
Hummusontoast · 15/10/2022 23:15

Somanysocks · 15/10/2022 22:10

I'll echo that if people drove properly with the required distance between vehicles they would be able to stop in time.

My instinct would be to brake to avoid hitting any obstacle in the road, whoever is driving behind me is responsible for their own actions.

True but that won’t help me if they drive into the back of me. My dog was in the boot I should add. Still feeling terrible though just not sure how I could have avoided it 😢

OP posts:
BMW6 · 16/10/2022 00:17

It's sad but you were 100% right not to slam on the brakes.

I'm sure the hare would choose the quick death by car rather than a fox mangling.

Try to put it out of your head.

OhSunnyMorning · 16/10/2022 00:20

I slammed on my brakes to try and not hit a chicken (that was just randomly strolling on a 50mph road!) It was days after passing my driving test and the car behind crashed into me and my car was written off and there's was significantly damaged. A few bumps and cuts but neither party seriously injured. The worst part was not only did I write my car off but I still killed the bloody chicken. I was too scared to drive again for a long time

That is rather shit. I guess you never got to find out why it was crossing the road.

newusernamegladys · 16/10/2022 00:27

I'm a bit surprised at all the replies saying you can't hard brake or you'll cause an accident. I was always taught that you had to leave a gap between you and the car in front and follow at a safe distance.
That you should always be able to stop safely if they should need to hard brake and that it's always the following cars fault if they can't stop on time, that they were following too closely.