Hi, I am a strict vegetarian and really love animals. I have a bit of a problem which may seem mad to a lot of people, but I was wondering if anyone at all feels the same as me. A lot of my family and friends are pressurising me to drive and I am starting lessons soon but I really don't want to. About a year ago I accidently killed a duck whilst driving a boat. I was so devestated and I still feel really guilty - this may seem odd to the average meat-eating person, but I'm sure a lot of vegetarians would feel the same as me if it happened to them. The main reason I don't want to drive is because I see dead animals on the road all the time and I really don't want to kill another animal by accident whilst driving a car. If anyone could offer some advice then that would be great.
From my point of view, the answer is simple . Make sure you keep your eye on the road ALL THE TIME... and make sure you make the most out of your driving lessons, so you can be a really caring, experienced driver . I totally get what you mean, I get freaked out whenever I see a dead animal on the road. . But I don't think it should prevent you from driving... sometimes it's really necessary to drive. Just keep your eyes wide open and I don't think you'll have a real problem... not if you're going under like 150mph and your brakes are working Or... you could always do the alternative and walk/ride your bike... That's what I'm doing a lot recently, but for entirely different reasons. Just use your car to get to places you absolutely must get to, like, yanno, faraway places, or emergencies or stuff like that
Tips for Driving with Wildlife in Mind http://www.hsus.org/ace/13407 Roadkill Avoidance-Specific Species http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/IMPORTANT_MATS/roadkillsTips.html
I don't think this one fear should prevent you from driving. unfortunately, animals do get hit by cars, but if you're careful, it won't happen. Good luck with that. Peace
Honey, don't let a one-time incident restrict you! Just drive carefully (in a leatherfree car) Listen, if you're careful, you can do a lot more good than bad with the car. You might pick up a stray, help a slow creature cross the street, give a cat a ride to the vet, etc. So I say go to the links above and go for it
Cars are evil. But if you drive slow you are likely to never hit an animal. Crap happens sometimes. My uncle had a neighbor who rode a motorcycle and hit a deer with it. The story sounds funny until you find out that the accident sliced his leg off and he bleed to death long before anyone found him. Alright -- maybe that isn't the story to be telling a person who is hesitent about driving. But think of it as roadkill striking back ... there is something very "Far Side" about that. For the most part you won't have any problems. Just one word of advice... NEVER EVER slam on the brakes for a squirrel before checking your mirrors. It may sound callous but it would be better to hit the animal than be rear-ended by another driver. And most of the time the animals run out of the way. Just remove your foot from the gas. Check. Then apply the brakes if you are safe. Driving isn't that bad but it isn't great either.
