Small furry animals

[Phisp]

I'm currently in a discussion on another forum regarding the issue of braking sharply (or not) to avoid hitting an animal, such as a cat, fox etc, that ran out in front of you i.e. one that you are not oblidged to stop if you do hit them. The main issue being that if someone was following too closely behind, they would end up hitting you damagaing both vehicles and potentially causing injury to the various occupants of either vehicle. I wondering if anyone knows the standpoint of the law on this issue i.e. you brake hard to avoid hitting a cat and the car following hits you.

My current view point is that:
1. I should have slowed sufficiently to a point where the gap now does allow for a suitable breaking distance (hopefully).
2. I would brake for any animal in my path and take the stand point that it was poor driving of the person following that caused them to hit me.

I'd be interested in any thoughts or even full on critisism of my point of view

Cheers,
Phil

[Vipers]

I think braking for something which runs out in front of you is a natural reaction, but on occasions I have seen dogs, or cats sitting by the road, I consciously try not to react to jumping on my brakes if it did run out. One good reason is still fresh in my mind.

A friend of mine did just that, braked for a dog, skidded, hit a lampost, smashing his car, and he lost an eye in the accident, the dog............. trotted off down the road, owner never traced.

[BOF]

Phil,

I doubt if you will get a conclusive reply to this...too many variables...

1. If an animal RUNS out you have had no warning to reduce your speed...I had a big deer and two small deer cross the A12 ahead of me at 2 AM...I was doing 70 and alone on the road...had they crossed seconds later I would have hit one of them.

2. Anyone hitting you from behind? If you do an 'emergency' stop in traffic you are looking for trouble...might be the insurance company will blame the following driver...this will not make your neck feel any better?

Very much a judgement call...I was told when I did a session at Millbrook not to swerve for rabbits, foxes, birds or anything else...hit them.

On a normal road, if you are checking your mirrors every 7 seconds or so, and are constantly aware of your 'safety bubble',including creating space AHEAD of you to compensate for the prick tailgating you, you increase your chances of safe reaction? That's about all you can do...?

BOF.

PS - If you want to practise with next doors cat, let me know?

Edited by BOF on Monday 4th June 19:25

[chris_tivver]

BOF said:

2. Anyone hitting you from behind? If you do an 'emergency' stop in traffic you are looking for trouble...might be the insurance company will blame the following driver...this will not make your neck feel any better?

Very much a judgement call...I was told when I did a session at Millbrook not to swerve for rabbits, foxes, birds or anything else...hit them.

But hitting anything bigger may make being hit from behind preferable. Hitting a deer hard can cause lots of problems. Even much smaller like a badger can cause a distinct loss of control of the car (even advanced driving techniques don't work if the wheels are in the air)

As you say, a judgement call, or more commonly an instinctive reaction I suggest

[LordGrover]

I was following a car this morning - a muntjac ran out of a hedge into the road. From where I was I expected him to brake and/or swerve to avoid it.
He clearly saw it, but his reaction was so poor; he was ten meters and a second or two beyond it before he braked and swerved! It would've been comical if not so alarming - he must've been asleep!

[LeoSayer]

It's pretty simple IMO.

Do what you can to avoid them, but don't put yourself or other road users at risk in doing do.

[kambites]

If anything alive runs out in front of me I will stop as fast as I safely can, be it a child or a squirrel. If someone is following too close to avoid hitting me then they're going to have an accident sooner or later anyway and it's their problem not mine.

Edited by kambites on Wednesday 6th June 14:32

[ASBO]

Phisp said:

I'm currently in a discussion on another forum regarding the issue of braking sharply (or not) to avoid hitting an animal, such as a cat, fox etc, that ran out in front of you i.e. one that you are not oblidged to stop if you do hit them. The main issue being that if someone was following too closely behind, they would end up hitting you damagaing both vehicles and potentially causing injury to the various occupants of either vehicle. I wondering if anyone knows the standpoint of the law on this issue i.e. you brake hard to avoid hitting a cat and the car following hits you.

My current view point is that:
1. I should have slowed sufficiently to a point where the gap now does allow for a suitable breaking distance (hopefully).
2. I would brake for any animal in my path and take the stand point that it was poor driving of the person following that caused them to hit me.

I'd be interested in any thoughts or even full on critisism of my point of view

Cheers,
Phil

I was taught this once by a driving instructor (whom I might add I only had the one lesson with). He told me that should anything smaller than a dear run out infront of you, you are to effectively plow into it to avoid the potential of a car behind hitting you. I asked him what I should do if no car was following me and he said, hit it anyway...

On the other hand, The driving instructor that I passed my test 1st time with (ex police), told me that if anything bar a rabbit, squirrel etc runs out in front of you, you brake with the aim of avoiding it. He was quite adamant about this and suggested that if there was a car behind following too close to brake in time for you, then he/she would be negligent. Another reason being that if you hit and kill any livestock or pets, you can be had for driving without due care and attention...

I'm now on my 117th roadkill

Edited by ASBO on Wednesday 6th June 14:59

[Slowly Slowly]

My day was ruined last sunday when a Jack Rabbit ran out in front of me, Me and the wife where travelling along the A1222 near Sherburn in Elmet when a Large Rabbit ran from right to left about 150 yards infront of me, 2 motorcyclists coming towards me could have been affected by me braking or swerving to miss it, I would'nt mind but the rabbit got 90% across the road then decided to turn round and run up the road.
I didn't slow or swerve as doing so could have affected the two bikers, if they where to get hit by a flying rabbit so be it,the rabbit died and the wife then gave me a hard time for the rest of the day, perhaps I should have tried to miss the rabbit.
That would never happen.

[curr2633]

It is the responsibility of the person behind you to allow sufficient space between themselves and you to be able to safely execute an emergency stop should the need arise. I do believe this is law. if something does run out in front of you, you ought to do slow down so as not to hit whatever it is without swerving if possible. With regard to just hitting it, a child can be smaller than a deer. Would you just hit that ???

Edited by curr2633 on Thursday 7th June 10:11

[LeoSayer]

curr2633 said:

if something does run out in front of you, you ought to do slow down so as not to hit whatever it is without swerving if possible. With regard to just hitting it, a child can be smaller than a deer. Would you just hit that ???

Has this ever happened to you? Your comment about slowing down without swerving implies not.

In these circumstances you may have only a split second to assess the situation and make a decision about what action to take and when something runs out the only choices are to swerve or hit the thing.

Were your comments about a child directed at anyone in particular? What would you do?

[BOF]

On the subject of small furry animals...would you swerve for the real Leo Sayer?

BOF

No offence pal

[curr2633]

LeoSayer said:

curr2633 said:

if something does run out in front of you, you ought to do slow down so as not to hit whatever it is without swerving if possible. With regard to just hitting it, a child can be smaller than a deer. Would you just hit that ???

Has this ever happened to you? Your comment about slowing down without swerving implies not.

In these circumstances you may have only a split second to assess the situation and make a decision about what action to take and when something runs out the only choices are to swerve or hit the thing.

Were your comments about a child directed at anyone in particular? What would you do?

Leo, the answer is yes, had a rather large Stag jump off an embankment onto the road in front of me also been chased in my landy by a rather irritated badger.
When I was tought to do an emergency stop at the tender age of 11, there was no swerving involved as you might hit something coming the other way and end up possibly killing yourself or worse. I do however agree that most peoples reaction would be to swerve and realise that sometimes it is nescessary, Hence the words "if possible".

Nothing I have written is aimed at anybody in particular and it is not meant to offend.

[7db]

When I was in Cuba a driver hit and killed a dog. Just went under the car as a bump. No swerving no braking, good driving, I thought.

Later on, I was making good progress in lane 3 of the motorway and found a cow pottering around there. Firm braking and avoiding action were definitely in order.

It depends on the size of the beastie, but I think the mindset should be to be prepared to kill rather than write off the car, and let survival take over for something as big as a deer.

[IRM]

hit a sheep in Scotland at a very illegal speed in a 30, it lived but smashed up the front

i skidded to a stop the sheep took off and landed 100 yds up the road didn't have time to think about swerving

reported it to the police in ullapool and he told me that i'd hit nothing until i'd hit a deer and the antlers come through the windscreen at you and the body takes all the lights off the roof

the photograph of the wool next to the iam badge in the front grille staid on the office notice board for many years

[Vipers]

I cycle most days to keep fit, and what really worries me is the number of rabbits I see, for some reason unbeknown to man, who sit on the right hand side of the road, and when I approach them run across the road in front of me..................

Cant imagine the consequences of hitting one at 30 mph on two 25mm dia wheels.......

[robwales]

Vipers said:

Cant imagine the consequences of hitting one at 30 mph on two 25mm dia wheels.......

Those would be some damn small wheels!

[Slowly Slowly]

Vipers said:

I cycle most days to keep fit, and what really worries me is the number of rabbits I see, for some reason unbeknown to man, who sit on the right hand side of the road, and when I approach them run across the road in front of me..................

Cant imagine the consequences of hitting one at 30 mph on two 25mm dia wheels.......

Rabbit stew of course.

[7db]

Slowly Slowly said:

Vipers said:

I cycle most days to keep fit, and what really worries me is the number of rabbits I see, for some reason unbeknown to man, who sit on the right hand side of the road, and when I approach them run across the road in front of me..................

Cant imagine the consequences of hitting one at 30 mph on two 25mm dia wheels.......

Rabbit stew of course.

Providing you can pick the bits of lycra-clad cyclist out of the meat.

[LeoSayer]

BOF said:

On the subject of small furry animals...would you swerve for the real Leo Sayer?

I'd just close my eyes