# Are you really going to swerve off the road for a squirrel? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 27, 2002, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329 "2002-03-27T04:57:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/1 "2002-03-27T04:57:26Z")
Just saw the Geico commercial again where a driver practically swerves off the road so he/she won’t hit little Squirrel Nutkin and they (the squirrels) high five each other afterwards for terrorizing the driver. If it’s slow enough I will make an effort to avoid a squirrel if I can do so safely, however if I’m traveling at speed on a roadway I will not swerve if a squirrel darts out in right front of me. If he makes it fine but he’s playing roulette with his life if he does this. Do some people really do something this stupid and irresponsible (swerving for squirrels) at higher speeds? ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/2 "2002-03-27T04:59:45Z")
I’m such a bad person. I saw this thread title and my first thought was, “Only if I’m absolutely sure I can hit the little bastard.” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BillyGnos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BillyGnos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BillyGnos)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/3 "2002-03-27T07:05:31Z")
I don’t want squirrel insides splattered on my tire! ---
**Author:** ![CrazyDiamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@CrazyDiamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyDiamond)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/4 "2002-03-27T08:53:25Z")
not when i’m foraging for food ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/5 "2002-03-27T09:05:15Z")
Not after seeing that commercial, I’m not. Smug little bastards. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/6 "2002-03-27T09:13:23Z")
Well presumably there’s some instinct before thought going on here. Thankfully I’ve never been in such a situation to test what my initial reaction would be. I assume I would make some attempt to slow, but not slam on my breaks and I would not swerve. But all and all I’m a wuss when it comes to killing animals. If I absently kill an ant I’ll fell bad. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/7 "2002-03-27T11:15:21Z")
No way. When I see an animal on the road I’ll try to figure out whether I can stop in time. Swerving off the road is definitely not an option that enters my calculations. Course, by the time I figure out whether I can stop in time, the poor animal would probably be kilometres behind me: either in a long streak on the bitumen, or off the road thanking its little animal gods. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/8 "2002-03-27T12:40:13Z")
I’ll slow down a little and hope I don’t hear that awful “thump”. ---
**Author:** ![LiquidLobotomy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/898d66/32.png) [@LiquidLobotomy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiquidLobotomy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/9 "2002-03-27T13:55:27Z")
I have swerved three times to avoid nailing the buggers. Twice I was successful in avoiding them. The third time (which was actually the second time) I swerved but the little squirrel TURNED AROUND AND RAN INTO MY TIRES! It was gross. Let me tell you, squirrels look a lot different when they are flat. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/10 "2002-03-27T14:37:27Z")
Once, I swerved (not off the road, though), to avoid a squirrel. . . . . .and I immediately ran into that squirrel’s best buddy. Very emotionally sucky, though I suppose it was worse for the deceased squirrel. It didn’t help that I’d only been driving for a couple of months at the time; I felt absolutely horrible… I would probably swerve again, though, but not offroad if I could help it. And definately not offroad at a high velocity. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/11 "2002-03-27T15:02:38Z")
I would try to avoid them, if I could do it safely. If I couldn’t do it safely, the squirrel is on his own… Am I evil for laughing out loud at this? > [@](#): > > Let me tell you, squirrels look a lot different when they are flat. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/12 "2002-03-27T17:12:16Z")
Experience has demonstrated that I do not swerve for animals. 😉 Anyway, don’t think “I’ll swerve if I can safely”. You really have no time to think about the situation, only to react instinctively. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/13 "2002-03-27T17:58:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jet Jaguar \* > Anyway, don’t think “I’ll swerve if I can safely”. You really have no time to think about the situation, only to react instinctively. Well, that depends on how fast you are going and how attentive at the wheel you are. And I guess experience as a driver has to factor in there somewhere also. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/14 "2002-03-27T18:43:06Z")
I slow down for animals, but I don’t slam, and I don’t fully break, and I never swerve. Animals are just so damn unpredictable that for all I know I am going to swerve _into_ the thing running away. I hit a bird the other day… poor thing. It tried to fly under my car (dunno what possesses them to try this, more MTV rejects?) and my rear tire caught its wing somehow. I heard the crunch and saw it flapping in my rearview mirror. I still feel very bad about that poor bird. But not bad enough to do anything about it. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/15 "2002-03-27T19:15:08Z")
My mother once swerved to avoid a dog that ran in front of her, she missed the dog but sideswiped a $150,000 Rolls Royce. Very expensive lesson. Luckily a police office witnessed what happened and the dog owner got stuck for half the repair bill ($14,000). I will run over any animal that is unfortunate enough to run out in front of me, the life of any animal is not worth the potential damage to me or anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/16 "2002-03-27T19:25:03Z")
I’d swerve if I thought it was safe to do so; the way I drive, swerving is a way of life. But for the record I don’t like squirrels; I just don’t want their blood on my hands. I’ll pay someone else to hit them if I want it done… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LiquidLobotomy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/898d66/32.png) [@LiquidLobotomy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiquidLobotomy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/17 "2002-03-27T20:09:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Who\_me? \* > \*\*I would try to avoid them, if I could do it safely. If I couldn’t do it safely, the squirrel is on his own… > > Am I evil for laughing out loud at this? > \*\* Nah, I wrote it intending for it to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/18 "2002-03-27T20:30:51Z")
I really don’t think any concious thought comes into this. Hell, I’ve swerved for _plastic bags_ blowing across the street. Your first instinct is “moving object in front of my car-avoid!” If I’m going slow enough, I suppopse I’d consider the options, but usually, I’ll just slam on the brakes. It must work, my toll so far has only been one rabbit in 13 yrs of driving. ---
**Author:** ![Fingolfin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@Fingolfin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fingolfin)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/19 "2002-03-27T20:50:42Z")
I have to navigate through a sea of squirrels every time I leave my neighborhood! The little buggers are everywhere! Don’t you just hate it when a squirrel bolts out in front of your car, makes it to the other side of the road, and then bolts back across the road! Sometimes, they do a little jig right in front of your car before deciding which way to go! Left, right, left, right, back, forward, back, left, then they are gone. I swear, sometimes it seems like they do that on purpose just to piss you off! heh ;j ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2002, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329/20 "2002-03-27T21:28:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BlackKnight \* > \*\*I’m such a bad person. I saw this thread title and my first thought was, “Only if I’m absolutely sure I can hit the little bastard.” > > 😛 \*\* You’re not the only bad person! I don’t bother to swerve for squirrels at all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-really-going-to-swerve-off-the-road-for-a-squirrel/100329.md?page=2)