What would you do?

[Texas Diesel]

Here is what happened, I was running 60 on a narrow, winding road, no shoulder and double yellow on the left. Came over a little rise and in my lane was a Pit Bull / Great Dane mix.



Choices:

1) Run off the shoulder

2) Cross double yellow and pray there is no traffic

3) lock up the brakes

4) steer straight and hope it moves; around Texas you are taught to run over a deer in the road rather than run off the road and hit a tree or get in a head-on.



I chose #3, dog didnt move and in the mirror I saw one half sliding down the road and the other half sliding on the side of the road. Still bugs me because I am a dog lover

 

[TowPro]

I would stay my course, while slowing down (not locked up, but under control).

 

[nickleinonen]

#3 i guess for me... same with any animal on the road, or human. is someone else's life worth more than yours? if you go over the double yellow, and go head on with another car, many people could die. 1 life is worth less than 2 or more... simple math. sad outcome though... i like dogs too

 

[DKayser]

Choices

Slow & try to avoid dog. But not at the expense of your or my ass, if I am in the other lane. Saw the results of someone swerving to avoid a deer not long ago. Hit another rig head on. Swerver and deer survived, innocent victims minding their own business in their own lane were both killed. Hope he hits the next deer.

 

[PaulCreamer]

As far as

the insurance companies are concerned, if you leave your lane and hit some one or something... it's a chargeable accident. If you hit the animal (in your lane), it's considered an act of God.

I have been in the same situation at least 3 or 4 times before and every time I instinctively try to swerve to miss it. And almost every time the animal runs in the same direction that I swerve and I end up leaving a stain on the road, (and in my shorts).



So... the next time you pop over a rise and their is a deer standing 25 feet in front of you pucker and hold your lane.

 

[Steve M]

You did the right thing. He's in pooch heaven and obviously didn't have enough sense the know what was coming and didn't feel a thing. I understand your grief though.

That's one of my biggest pissmeoffs on the road is when people swerve alluva sudden to avoid an animal or object in the road only to cause an accident resulting in far more damages or fatalities than if he'd have just run over the phkn turtle.

 

[BreaksEverything]

that 's a rough call too make sittin here , but I think I would have too pick door #3 & hope for the best , unless I know it's not a well traveled road , but it sounds like it might be



next time ( hopfully there won't be ) don't look back

 

[EMD Diesel Power]

Run the animal over... . otherwise the insurance companies will have a field day like Paul stated.



If its human... . well thats another story.

 

[illflem]

How about if it's a five gallon bucket sitting in the middle of the lane that isn't going to run?

Gal at work had no choice but to hit one square on, it was full of diesel.

Besides painting her Subaru it did over $1k in damage

 

[JohnE]

Had to make a similar decision once while on a motorcycle. Luckily it was a cat and not a dog. (I like dogs..... )

Motorcycle - 1

Cat - 0

 

[Doc Tinker]

As Steve St. will testify (from my deer slayer days), I would probably lock them up, but stay in the lane. Upon impact, I would let up on the brakes and ease off the road to assess the damage.



It's mostly your instinctive action that will come to play, unless you have a lot of experience or training with that type of situation.





Doc

 

[LSMITH]

#4 WHILE slowing as fast as is safe is the ONLY course of action. Hold your lane and hope for the best.



I have seen a car that was totaled and the woman in intensive care when she swerved to avoid a squirrel , stupid is as stupid does.

 

[Scot]

Originally posted by LSMITH

#4 WHILE slowing as fast as is safe is the ONLY course of action. Hold your lane and hope for the best.



I have seen a car that was totaled and the woman in intensive care when she swerved to avoid a squirrel , stupid is as stupid does.

Not my wife, she slows down and then ends up crushing them anyways. For some reason, she does not like the moniker, "squirrel crusher. "

 

[Champane Flight]

Although

Although I always have an exit strategy going for any situation, in most cases of animal adventures I have had, I can say to hold your course and reduce speed is the safest and wisest. Too many times I have seen radical moves to avoid deer, elk, dogs, cats, squirrels, and other critters turn ugly. In most cases if they would have held their course the animal would have got out of the way.



I was once caught by surprise by a big buck and had a way out (deserted highway, good shoulders) and went right, the deer went right, went left, the deer went left, all this with tires squalling and rear puckering. Finally could count the hairs on this big bucks co hones when he bound left out of the way. If I would have stayed my course and stuck to braking, I would have had no problem with missing him. Stay your course and brake safely. A little prayer helps, but most of the time you only have time for a half of a word "Mother--------".

 

[klenger]

Good topic. Thanks for bringing it up. It helps to have thought this through if the situation comes up sometime.

 

[Morphious]

One of the good upstanding citizens that lives here, swerved to miss a dog, towards the shoulder, and ended up putting his suburban on it's side in a ditch. Said he just couldn't hit the dog. Myself, I've taken out two deer's with my deer strainer.



Morph.

 

[JConley]

This is why steel grill guards are so popluar in Texas. Deer are thicker than stray cats in the hill country. Slow down, and let the grill guard do its job.

 

[mikel]

You did right. Your life is worth more than that of the animal. The life of anyone that might have been in that other lane is worth more than the life of that animal. Don't beat yourself up over it.



Mike

 

[duaneparks]

One more person agreeing with what you did. Myself, I have done all of your 4, and decided that staying in my lane, slowing as fast as safely possible while pushing the horn button through the steering wheel (if I can get to it quick enough) is the best option.



Once I had a lady almost hit me and my kids head on while trying to miss an armadillo. 2 lane Farm and Market road with nice wide gravel shoulders. She came into my lane, we were both doing ~60. I swerved right, ended up sideways in the gravel trying to correct and continued to complete an almost 720* turn. I gained my composure while sitting on the side of the road, but noticed the odd absence of her car going the other way. She ended up in a 5' deep ditch, backwards, and couldn't get out of the car except through the windows. After I helped her out, I introduced her to my twin sons, then 3 yrs old, that she could have killed.



So, nowadays, I just try to slow down to minimize damage, then try to avoid everything else *but* the animal. You did the right thing.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

My neighbor swerved to miss a terrapin in the road and put his car and passengers upside down in a deep ditch next to the road.



All for the sake of saving a terrapin!!



I have chosen the stiff upper lip and tight a$$ hole method several times! Only killed one dog that I know of. I will durn near leave the road to take out an armadillo or possum though!