Reptile Roadkill

[iCandiBallPythons]

Reptile Roadkill
Drivers rage against reptiles.


Some drivers intentionally hit reptiles on the road, three Canadian researchers found.

Suspicious that reptile road kill isn’t always accidental, they collected data for four months along a busy causeway in southern Ontario. Among the props were a small plastic snapping turtle, a rubber eastern fox snake and a disposable white cup (to check reactions to inanimate objects). After analyzing data from 1,900 vehicles, the researchers determined 2.7 percent of drivers, the majority of them men, go out of their way to hit road-bound reptiles.

The fake snake fared the worst. Drivers were 1.9 times more likely to hit it than the cup.

In comparison, the fake turtle was 1.4 times more likely to be hit than the cup.

Besides driver animosity or indifference, the researchers observed some travelers stop to rescue the reptiles before realizing they were fakes.

[JamieLynn]

we should have a study like that down here. I bet the bad % will be bigger.

[katiadarling]

I'm starting to volunteer at a raptor center and during the training that said they've gotten birds taken to them that have been intentionally hit by cars. What kind of *sshole aims for a hawk!

It makes me really sad first that animals get hit by car, but second that people do it on purpose. I almost hit a cat in the road during the middle of a rain storm. I ended up skidding out to avoid it and then I pulled over to the side of the road and cried...

[DutchHerp]

I'm starting to volunteer at a raptor center and during the training that said they've gotten birds taken to them that have been intentionally hit by cars. What kind of *sshole aims for a hawk!

It makes me really sad first that animals get hit by car, but second that people do it on purpose. I almost hit a cat in the road during the middle of a rain storm. I ended up skidding out to avoid it and then I pulled over to the side of the road and cried...

[iCandiBallPythons]

I was shocked that the stats were so low really. Everyone here will just about cross 4 lanes to flatten a snake.

[panthercz]

I see it all the time here and have been told by several neighbors if they see a snapping turtle in the road they will always try to hit it.
People suck...

[JamieLynn]

I would hate myself for life if i ever hit a reptile.
I hit a bunny once, I thought it was dead laying on the road, so I moved to avoid squishing it under my tires. Just as I was going over it, it jumped up...
I had to pull over and let my husband drive....I don't kill anything but snake food.
I still eat meat, but I don't kill it.

[echs332000]

IM very against hitting animals on the road. But im not going to risk my life trying to avoid a animal. With me being a ex EMT i've seen to many fatal wrecks because people tried to avoid a animal and end up hitting a ditch or another on-comming car. My rule is this, if im able to slow down and stop i wont hit the animal, but i will not swerve..its just not worth it. I have a g/f a dog and a snake to come home to.

[dsirkle]

Many people try to hit the reptiles that sun themselves in the road. Snapping turtles and snakes are viewed by many as something undesireable. It's too bad.

[BrucenBruce]

While traveling to NC, I met (an otherwise fine, upstanding gentleman who went a long way out of his way to help a young family he'd never met . . . ) who told me that any time he spotted a snake on the road he'd go out of his way to plant his rear wheels on its body - and gun his engine to try & grease the reptile.

Left a pretty sour taste on an otherwise very warm memory.

~Bruce