Ignore, Kill or Rescue?

[Thalassa]

#1 and #2 SO smart. When I was a teenager one of my closest friends and her brother were killed on their way to go skiing. She saw a deer on the road and swerved to avoid it. The car hit a Greyhound bus and veered into the ditch where the bus fell on top of the car. Her parent's and older brother have never fully recovered. It strongly impressed upon all of us who were new driver's: NOT to risk our lives to avoid killing an animal.

But a deer can also kill you instantly if you hit one head on, so you might want to rethink that. I grew up in West Virginia and although I live in a major city at this time, we were constantly surrounded by deer and having one go through your windshield is a good way to end your life.

Just swerve to the ditch or go off road instead of into on coming traffic. This works unless you're on the side of a mountain.

 

[Thalassa]

1. I would probably go back and see what I could try to do to help it. if I did keep driving, I would still think about it way too much. if it was in the middle of highway though I wouldn't do anything. stopping traffic would be a mess and I'd hope people would not run it over.

2. let it die on its own, I would think that it would survive and I wouldn't want to kill it because there's still the small chance that it would survive.

3. call the cops. I would want to confront the parents, but chances are I'd be too surprised by seeing a kid get thrown into the trunk of a car to really know what to say.

I keep seeing people mix up highway with freeway. Highways tend to be long stretches of fairly empty road, or with reasonable space between cars at least. I can see people answering differently on the LA freeway or RDU beltline, and the like in other metropolitan areas, but I've driven on highways both in the South and in the desert southwest, and there are very few places I encountered the kind of traffic people are describing. How would you even notice the bird going 70-80 on the freeway?

 

[Obfuscate]

I ignore the bird and drive on, although I feel bad for it.

It's just that it's part of what happens on highways, especially in rural areas. (I've hit birds and animals myself by accident, just growing up where I did.)

There isn't much to do, and by the time I would go back (to do what exactly?) it's likely to have already been hit and killed, and I'm just endangering myself.




I would have scooped it out of the water (and have done such in the past).

In the past I haven't really killed insects in that kind of situation, although I'm 50/50.

I think I'd have a less intense reaction to insects than mammals... it depends on the insect. (I have no issues swatting flies and the like.)




Call 9-1-1 and report the license plate and what I saw.

ditto (note my editing)

 

[Mademoiselle]

I'd rescue the bird, ignore the dragon fly for I don't really know if I can help, and call the police for the child.
In those situations I'd make sure if what I'm going to do is actually going to make things better before I decide to act.