You Don't Kill The Squirrel

PETA and the ASPCA will probable be all over me for this title but it's not about going out to kill squirrels, it's about safe driving.  The point is that it's better to kill the squirrel on the road in front of your car than veering off the road into a tree or down a steep embankment.  If you do either one of these you and/or a passenger will be injured or killed.
A friend of a friend of mine told me a few weeks ago that her friend's son veered off the road to avoid a squirrel, tried to climb a tree (the car, not the squirrel) and rolled the car over.  Fortunately, in this case, he was alone and only suffered a minor injury to a thumb.  The driver is a new licensee, only a few weeks, without much experience so he can be excused but we can all learn, new or experienced, and get it in our minds now, thinking over and over what we'd do in like circumstances.
 
By thinking about a plan we're more apt to be able to properly and safely respond to animals on the road.  The animal (squirrel) most times will try to avoid being run over so will dart to one side or the other or freeze in its tracks.  If you try to veer away in the same direction as it does you will kill the animal instead of letting him escape.  Often times when the animal freezes, keeping the car on the same course of travel, the car will pass over the animal between the wheels which will only scare the animal.  Other things to think about,  if they can be done safely, would be slowing down to give the animal a chance to get off the road, blowing your horn, stopping, pulling over onto a wide, safe curb or even getting out of your car to help the animal off the road.
WARNING:  If in Florida or Georgia don't try to help an alligator off the road.  In Kenya, lions.

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