Oh dear, another tongue in cheek observation taken to the letter.

Let me clarify, as someone who has received extensive defensive driver instruction and a H & S professional, I have been taught NEVER to swerve as I should never be in a position to.

If I am driving at the appropriate speed and with the appropriate distance between myself and the vehicle in front, it should be possible to safely brake to prevent collisions (if the driver behind you is doing the same).

Swerving normaly causes more injuries and damage than any other road manouevre (apart from speeding) and thus I avoid it.

So I do not go out and DELIBERATELY mow down wildlife, BUT I will not swerve to avoid it.

OK?

I teach my pupils how to deal with them, much easier than deer
They tend to run the way they are facing when startled so easier to predict than a rabbit

But no matter what it is at high speed its safer not to swerve

I have never hit a rabbit on the road either. In fact I don't think I have ever even seen one on the road. Pheasants on the other hand I agree with; they are constantly on the road.

If you are plowing anything down by the hundreds on a daily basis I seriously suggest you reavaluate your driving ability. It sounds like YOU are a driving hazhard, not the birds.

I see loads of dead rabbits on the roads, pheasants too, and deer, which are definitely not a good idea to hit!

Blimey the roads around here are littered with dead rabbits and badgers.

My OH his a pheasant a few weeks back which darted out, on a dual carriageway- quite a thud but killed outright and rolled in to a hedge for a fox or another predator to eat. Phesants round here don't tend to like roads, but they do sit on the side of the roads/hedges/fields.

I ran down a myxi rabbit last year, felt it go under my tyres on the passage side, I felt awful, but thought it a) much safer not to serve on a country lane when there was a car coming the other way in the distance and b) much kinder to the rabbit.

I generally 9/10 do not serve, but if safe to do so slow down. If it (rabbits/birds) gets hit by my car, thats a bit tough luck. Though I will always try to slow down for random dogs/cats jumping out in front of my car (of which there have been many lately) and deer.

Occassionally, I even slow down for stray school kids in the road. Only if I'm in a good mood though

Just to chime in on the swerving thing, I completed an advanced driving course as part of my job and was also told never to swerve. Ben McF however has seen my driving and probably doesn't believe this

lol-pheasants are suicidal where cars are concerned,but theres not a lot you can do about it.

If you run over a pheasant on the road, it is illegal to pick it up (but the person in the car behind can do) ... so you be careful Smokey or you may find yourself banged up LOL

I was also taught by my instructor never to swerve to avoid wildlife such as rabbits, pheasants etc. I wouldn't say I have never swerved to avoid hitting something, but I would only do it if it were safe to do so.