Mark Foster
Like you I get the odd bird - mostly pheasants round here, rabbits, stoat-weasels, hedgehogs and squirrels. Never hit a fox as yet.
I try not to hit rabbits with the wheels - I am told their bones can damage tyres if they shatter the wrong way. And it is worth checking for damage if you do run over one. I will vary speed and-or line to give the animal room if there is no other traffic about. Most times on country roads it is possible to avoid them but sometimes not. Or if they turn the wrong way.
I always stop for deer, sheep or larger beast blocking the road.
You can only know whether or not there is someone too close behind you. It is quite possible for the following driver to fail to notice a stationary vehicle or even a queue of vehicles on the carriageway.
That is the crux of the matter. If you have the time and space there is no harm in using it to minimise damage. But if you don't then maintaining a steady course and killing the animal is usually the least bad option. Especially if the alternative is losing control of the vehicle or initiating a multiple pile up.
If you hit a dog on the road aren't you obliged to report the collision to the police whereas cats count as wild animals.
I expect to catch something small on the road like this once a year. I pbutt typically half a dozen wild animals on the roadside every day.
If I am first out of the village at dawn deer are fairly common. I would not want to hit one at speed... or a large dog for that matter.
Regards, Martin Brown
