Duck causes accident

www.stuff.co.nz/manawatustandard/4773537a6003.html

I know the officers right BUT you dont think just do it,though it was going to be duck flew into windscreen or type thing.Theres lots of ducks around there

When I was learning to drive it was drummed into me to slow down but never, never swerve.

My mother knew a person who swerved to miss a dog and killed two kids on the footpath

Luckily no one was hurt to badly this time.

Hearing about people that swerve to avoid hitting small animals makes me cringe!

Had a mate who swerved to avoid a cat and crashed full speed into a power pole. Could have killed him.

Another girl I knew swerved to avoid hitting (believe it or not) a possum and rolled her little SUV. Also could have killed her.

Its a no brainer for me - you should slow down in a safe manner but don't swerve!

I totally respect what has been said up to this point. We are rural people and we will run over a duck rather than swerve but is that really realistic for an urban person who is not familiar with the reality we live with on rural roads? The rule is there...don't dispute that...but actually running over it? I personally think it is a rural-v-urban issue and I hope the driver is not taken to Court over this as I doubt many urban people would have done anything different. Just so thankful that the innocent party was not hurt and hopefully will not end up wearing any costs out of this.

I dont think its a rural/urban thing at all? I think it just comes down to each individual. Alot (if not most) will swerve as an instictive reaction to avoid hitting something, most of the time its not a concious decision.

TBH, my instinct would be to swerve I think. I have never been in a situation where I was driving that fast that I couldn't slow down. i.e. I have been driving up a hill at 30 - 40 Km.

I was in town and this duck stopped traffic by walking her ducklings across the road

v e r y

v e r y

s l o w l y.

I wasn't rural when I learnt to drive, my mother has never been rural. I don't think it's part of the rural/urban divide.

It was just part of being taught to drive. Maybe that's the failure... not many people being taught to drive properly now. Many things we would do instinctively, we are taught not to when learning to drive, this is just one of them.

At least the duck was OK....

Yes it was good the duck was OK - imagine doing that much damage to your car and squashing the duck and her family as well[:0]. The road it happened on is right by Centennial lagoon and is home to heaps of ducks ,swans and geese

I slowed down the other day as a duck with all her babies was crossing the road. Was letting them get across safely. The guy in the Ute behind me couldn't be bothered waiting an extra 30 seconds and over took me, and ran them all over.

Oh, no, how awful Clods. What has the world come to when you can't be 30 seconds late to let some wildlife cross the road.

I didn't explain myself very well, if at all. I was intending to point out that rural people are far more likely to have had animals run across the road in front of them - think stray cats, rabbits, possums, rats, and every other small animal living near a road. For myself I drive much slower at night on a country road than I do in the day for example. Now when an animal runs across, I brake as heavily as I can but do not swerve at all. I am just used to it. Does that make more sense? Wasn't critisising urban drivers intentionally.

However, now I know that it is normal for ducks to be in the area of the accident, it changes the perspective if it were someone who should know to be careful on that piece of road. Wonder if duck just kept ambling

what a complete and utter W****R....clods that must have been so bad to see, i would have cried for sure...poor duck family
Last year a paradise duck decided to mover her little family across state highway 2 at a junction..the whole trafic stopped and watched in amazment..no one ran them over and they got to their final destination un hurt..i was happy to see the softer side to drivers that day...i must say though...it was a whole load of women who then waved at each other smiling... YEHA for maternal instincts

oh and what i was getting on to say was that the other night a rabbit ran out infront of me and i swerved...just did it...dont know why...but i did...rabbit wasnt hit i was fine nad the teens were verry proud of my skid mark in the road i wanst going fast either, it took me by suprise and i acted accordingly.