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Why is there always so much roadkill!

HumblePie

HumblePie

Lifer
Okay, maybe it's because I've mostly lived in places like Texas, Arizona, Colorado, and Hawaii. Still, the amount of roadkill I see on a daily basis is gross! Cats, dogs, rats, birds, squirrels, deer, kids, turkeys, chickens, possums, armadillos, and even a pig once! I have seriously never in my life run over anything but an insect. I don't understand how so many people run into so much wildlife. I know there are a few crazy whackos that actually try to hit anything they see near a roadway, but that doesn't account for all them.

I guess people just don't seem to care if or what they hit.
 
I find Colorado to be incredibly clean compared to driving through Oklahoma and now in Mississippi. If Texas and AZ are about the same as CO then you have NOTHING to complain about. The south is awful... opossums, armadillos, snakes, etc.
 
When I was in WV during my college years, I had to be extra extra careful not to run over animals - don't miss those days. Hitting a deer in a toyota paseo would not have been pleasant. Well, laster on I got hit by a Ford Excursion in the same car ... but that's another story.
 
People are just poor drivers. I live out in the middle of nowhere in the midwest country, and frequently drive at night. I've still only ever hit an animal once.
 
Brought it up because I saw on the road back to work from lunch today a cat that has been there for 3 days, a new dead dog, and a new dead rodent of some sort that were not there on my way to lunch.
 
DougK62 said:
People are just poor drivers. I live out in the middle of nowhere in the midwest country, and frequently drive at night. I've still only ever hit an animal once.
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thats not 100% it either. even the best driver can't avoid a darting animal.

though you really need to take more precaution in some areas. but if it comes between me swerving to miss a animal and hitting it i will hit the damn thing. people get hurt trying to avoid an animal and hit oncoming cars,trees etc.
 
I've hit rabbits, lots of chipmunks, squirrels, groundhogs, came within inches of hitting deer a few times, and birds. I've been driving off and on for 6 years. Usually birds are pretty good at getting out of the way but one day one tried to cross the road too late and hit my windshield. As long as it's not a fairly large animal, I won't swerve or hit the brakes to avoid it.
 
DougK62 said:
People are just poor drivers. I live out in the middle of nowhere in the midwest country, and frequently drive at night. I've still only ever hit an animal once.
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It's just chance. You aren't gonna avoid hitting a deer if it jumps in front of your car 50 feet in front of you while you are doing 50mph, no matter how good a driver you are.

I hit someones dog on a 25mph street at night one time. Black dog + black street + nighttime = dead dog.

I saw someone hit a turkey one time. The thing flew up off the side of the interstate, straight into their windshield. It completely shattered the windshield.

For most things, it is safer just to hit it than to brake hard or swerve to avoid it. Deer and large mammals being the exception of course.
 
waggy said:
thats not 100% it either. even the best driver can't avoid a darting animal.

though you really need to take more precaution in some areas. but if it comes between me swerving to miss a animal and hitting it i will hit the damn thing. people get hurt trying to avoid an animal and hit oncoming cars,trees etc.
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LOL...that reminds me of when a guy totaled his car in front of my parent's house one summer while trying to avoid running over a dead beaver. That's right, the beaver was already dead rotting in the road and he went out of control trying to avoid it and hit a tree.
 
You know what's crazy...there are tons of dead animals around here (skunks, possums, rodents of many kinds, deer, etc) but I think in my entire life I've hit one bird and that's it. It was right after I started driving.
 
I guess it's just me, because I not only watch the road when I drive but the sides too. I look for spots like a bush being too close to the road that some animal might possibly jump out of from. I slow down and get ready just incase. I have had to hit the breaks a few times, but I've never hit anything.

Oh and I've had plenty of deer jump out across the road in front of me on a wooded street with no lights and never hit a one. Why? I drive slow and watch the edges of the road. The movement of the foliage is typically easy to spot. Just something my grandpa taught me when I was younger and it stuck I guess.
 
HumblePie said:
I guess it's just me, because I not only watch the road when I drive but the sides too. I look for spots like a bush being too close to the road that some animal might possibly jump out of from. I slow down and get ready just incase. I have had to hit the breaks a few times, but I've never hit anything.

Oh and I've had plenty of deer jump out across the road in front of me on a wooded street with no lights and never hit a one. Why? I drive slow and watch the edges of the road. The movement of the foliage is typically easy to spot. Just something my grandpa taught me when I was younger and it stuck I guess.
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uh huh..
 
Truck drivers are instructed to run animals down. If they try to stop, they're more likely to flip truck.

My brother only drove a truck for about 6 months, but he killed at least 5 deer and countless other smaller animals.
 
I guess people just don't seem to care if or what they hit.
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More like people don't care about the pets they own and let them run free. So many dead cats. What do you actually want me to do if I hit one of them? Grab my shovel and run out there?
 
PingSpike said:
You know what's crazy...there are tons of dead animals around here (skunks, possums, rodents of many kinds, deer, etc) but I think in my entire life I've hit one bird and that's it. It was right after I started driving.
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What's with birds swooping in front of cars?
 
coldmeat said:
I've hit rabbits, lots of chipmunks, squirrels, groundhogs, came within inches of hitting deer a few times, and birds. I've been driving off and on for 6 years. Usually birds are pretty good at getting out of the way but one day one tried to cross the road too late and hit my windshield. As long as it's not a fairly large animal, I won't swerve or hit the brakes to avoid it.
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When I was taking a class to get my license they teach you not to swerve if it is a small animal. It's more dangerous to yourself and others on the road if you swerve to avoid a squirrel then if you pancake the thing.

That being said I try to avoid hitting dogs and cats as they may be a pet.
 
Road kill is built into the fabric of us as a people. It began when the Native Americans got in our way.
 
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Leros said:
Truck drivers are instructed to run animals down. If they try to stop, they're more likely to flip truck.

My brother only drove a truck for about 6 months, but he killed at least 5 deer and countless other smaller animals.
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you are instructed to just brake and hit anything that's not human in NY regardless or what you drive.

Ive never hit anything larger then a rodent, squirrels and shit, few birds, i don't even slow down for something that small.

I almost got taken out by a turkey a few months ago, I noticed it on the side of the road in the grass, was slowing down thinking it was a deer, and then it just started flying DIRECTLY AT ME, it made it over my car but it was a serious WTF moment

I watched someone hit a dear head on at 60MPH 2 weeks ago on the highway, it was late 10pm ish and this section of highway was 1 lane in each direction because of they had both north and south on the same side because of road work, i was heading south and saw the deer just standing in the north bound lane, person coming north didn't really have a chance

seen a bunch of deer jump out onto the highway and get hit less then a second later, you aren't doing anything but hitting it at 70+ when that happens. Saw a semi turn a deer into confetti on the NY turnpike in HS because of that

seen deer jump into card and hit them on the side.

my brother hit one, he had slowed down/stopped and let 1 or 2 get outta the way, started back up and was going ~30 and a 3rd one popped out right in front of him, he also hit one in the middle of our town, it ran out from in bwtween some houses
 
Leros said:
Truck drivers are instructed to run animals down. If they try to stop, they're more likely to flip truck.

My brother only drove a truck for about 6 months, but he killed at least 5 deer and countless other smaller animals.
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Yah, this is fine since they have an excuse with typically way more mass that prevents them from timely stops. But in a big city, most trucks are on thoroughfares that are usually typically higher traffic with less wildlife nearby for roadkills. No traveling a highway between cities where there is only the occasion gas station and motel, sure I have no problem with them hitting something if it gets on the road before them.

I just find it upsetting a little on a less travelled road by some suburb neighborhoods and finding roadkill all over the place. To be sure it is typically picked up after a few days, but the amount lately I've seen has been unsettling.

my brother hit one, he had slowed down/stopped and let 1 or 2 get outta the way, started back up and was going ~30 and a 3rd one popped out right in front of him, he also hit one in the middle of our town, it ran out from in bwtween some houses
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If he was already stopped and let them go, he needs to lay into the horn before he starts again. This drives them all from the road and he wouldn't have hit that third one.
 
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it wasn't in the road it jumped outta the woods slightly later on, and jumped right in front of him, it actually totaled his car
 
HumblePie said:
I guess it's just me, because I not only watch the road when I drive but the sides too. I look for spots like a bush being too close to the road that some animal might possibly jump out of from. I slow down and get ready just incase. I have had to hit the breaks a few times, but I've never hit anything.

Oh and I've had plenty of deer jump out across the road in front of me on a wooded street with no lights and never hit a one. Why? I drive slow and watch the edges of the road. The movement of the foliage is typically easy to spot. Just something my grandpa taught me when I was younger and it stuck I guess.
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This. I watch the sides of the road like a hawk when I'm in a wooded area, and I also look for any kind of movement. Another thing that helps is that the deer's eyes will glow in your headlights.
 
Here we go again..

It is now legal in the state of Colorado to remove undomesticated animals from any public roadway, without the notification of the Division of Wildlife. These animals may be used for human consumption if properly processed, however the authorities warn that any use of the animal carcass for religious rituals or unnatural sexual pleasure is strictly forbidden.
 
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