Firstly I will say I was a white woman driver for many years..well pink & white actually & I always drove watching the verges constantly!I once hit a bird blackbird with worms in its beak,obviously feeding young,she was in the road so I stopped at my own risk went & picked her up,moved her to the side of the road & then she flew off,but left in the road would have been killed.
Sadly late one night I hit a badger.Still crying as I type this even after nearly a year.It came running out of the hedge straight under the wheel,didn't even see it but heard a thud,stopped & went back,but sadly it was breathing its last,stayed with it saying sorry,and then gently moved it onto the verge opposite.I was driving at 50 on the A35 at 3 in the morning,I couldn't have prevented it because I will swerve to avoid anything.
We live down a very small lane,and did in our last property,but we too often see dead badgers & rabbits in places where they must have been running down the lane so the person must have been able to see them,breaks my heart,we stop & move them into a field rather than leave them on the road.I also try to avoid hitting a dead creature on the road if I can!I also sadly saw a collie lying on the verge,turned the van round and went back,the owners had just turned up,they had been out looking for her all night,elderly couple & they said she was the last pet they would even own due to thier age,that really broke my heart!I never had children so animals are special to me if I can care for them in some way,but saying all that,please remember that not all road deaths are the drivers faults,but I wish there was a 20mph restriction on our lane & a penalty for anyone seen to hit something on purpose!Reminds me of that chap who was putting bricks in the skins of hedgehogs.....good on him,as they were in the gutters & people still tried to hit them!!
