What do you do if you hit an animal when driving?

This is again another viewer inspired video where I find out something I didn't know! Apologies for the misread in the video! “Legalisation” should have been “Legislation”.
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[@BRMdrivingschool]

My driving instructor told me, NEVER brake if there's an animal in the road. You should have seen the look on the copper's face as I knocked him off his horse.

[@Grahamvfr]

Haha, and I still hear that said, however on a serious note, survival instincts kick in quicker than instructors advice ie "I don't want crash into something "

[@DAFPvnk]

@@Grahamvfr its bollocks to "not slow down for an animal" anyway. On an empty/quiet road, is it really safer to charge through any animals in the road? Because a cow will kill you, deer going through windscreens of fast moving cars kill people every year, so whenever it is safe it is best to, as Ash said in the video, reduce your speed and lower your risk. Heck my driving instructor literally used a cat running into the road as an example when trying to get me to learn emergency braking properly.

[@loganwatkins97]

funny!!!

[@paulcollyer801]

Then there’s the time I hit a pig in the works van. Phoned the boss for advice, & he told me to just drag the body to the bushes, and we’d sort the damage out later. I asked, “What do I do with his motorbike??”

[@peterturner8766]

So presumably you would have hit the pig at 5:50?

[@mattmilford]

My driving instructor told me if there's an animal in the road you should run it over. I narrowly missed a dog on my test, the examiner on my test looked so surprised when I subsequently followed the dog into a field before I finally got him.

[@Groink1]

Oh my, this is evil x)

[@highdownmartin]

You got with me with that one mate Very good

[@roadsafegb8740]

Lee Mack wants his joke back !!

[@highdownmartin]

@@brandonlee7382 you may call it it bullshit, Mr Lee. I call it a pretty good joke. Oh and it’s spelled “pheasant “

[@lexihunnel4024]

Matt mill ford what is wrong with you why did you run over a dog

[@taylorcarter831]

I remember one time I was driving through a forest at about 3AM. It was a 60 zone, but I was doing 40 because I'd only passed my test a few weeks earlier and had recently hit a deer. Despite there being nobody else around, I had an Audi tailgating me, beeping and flashing but I didn't give in. The driver finally overtook me, only for me to pass him a couple of minutes later because he'd hit a deer. It took all of my self control not to wind my window down and say "do you see why I was doing 40 now!" Edit: There's a lot of people putting jokes in the other comments, but this was unfortunately a true story.

[@marklittler784]

Its a dear do.

[@robnorth480]

I once hit a deer doing 60mph on M74 near Hamilton. It jumped out of the bushes and I didn't have time to hit the brakes before hitting it. It was a scary incident and made a mess of the front of the VW Passat I was driving. Not a lot of fun!

[@taylorcarter831]

@@robnorth480 Sounds scary. I was just coming out of a 30 zone when I hit it, so I was probably only doing about 45. Luckily it was only cosmetic damage to my car but it could've been a lot worse. It definitely taught me to take it steady though.

[@aok9153]

@@taylorcarter831 I dont even have my licence yet but with the small amount of time ive spent on the highway with my brother. I do have about 300-400 hours of experience in the city tho I came really close to running over a rabbit. And i saw another person almost run over a deer at 110kmh in broad daylight, he got lucky as hell that the deer decided to run back

[@sillybait1329]

I always drive a bit slower and with caution around dawn and dusk, there's always an AA(Audi arsehole) idiot who wants to pass anything and anyone with no regards for anyone else on the road, I'm sure I would have slowed and waved 😎😎😎😎

[@Ultima2876]

Trying to imagine how the police would react if you phoned them telling them you had hit a pigeon.

[@mrfeather83]

My ex crashed my car avoiding a pigeon

[@dess5500]

They'd be out there with a little coffin charging you for dangerous driving

[@nataliam9764]

@@mrfeather83 I hit the pigeon. I was expecting for him to fly away. They have very good reflexes in my country. English pigeons must have some neurological problem.

[@LRC92]

@@nataliam9764 They always leave it to the last minute to take off for some reason.

[@butterfly-bw6cx]

You don't have to report it if its a bird

[@HeyLaserLips]

I've always found it frustrating that cats aren't granted the same status as dogs when it comes to reporting running one over. I lost a cat that I'd had for 20 years, and it was even on a cul-de-sac where you'd think it'd be safer! No one reported it, even though he had a collar on with a contact number.

[@toddbod94]

It works both ways with cats, owners are t held responsible for damage their cats may cause, whereas owners are responsible for what a dog might do.

[@margaretnicol3423]

Cats run wild but dogs should be on a lead so it's not surprising they're run over. Having said that, people should certainly report hurting or killing a cat because they are just as much a part of the family as a dog and easy enough to trace with collar info and/or chip.

[@sillybait1329]

Cat's are classed as vermin, unlike dog's which are domesticated and are rarely running free, hit a dog it should be reported, hit a cat the council should be called to scrape it up, not being callous just realistic

[@margaretnicol3423]

@@sillybait1329 ... or take it to a vet for them to read the chip to let the owners know.

[@sillybait1329]

@@margaretnicol3423 would you really pick up a squashed animal, I'm not squeamish but I wouldn't want cat guts and blood etc in my car, the wife wouldn't be very happy if I started collecting cat carcasses to take to the vet

[@steves5172]

Whilst driving on the Isle of Skye a friend stopped when confronted by a ram in the middle of a single track road. Despite being stationary the ram charged my friends vehicle several times before wandering off. The damage was unbelievable and included a punctured radiator! On reporting the incident it was apparent that the ram was known to the police as an habitual offender!

[@SwrveYT]

Man: Stands on Twig that makes a small crunch sound Deer: MUST RUN FAST Man: Drives a Massive Vehicle of Clanky Metal and Bright Lights making incredible amount of noise Deer: Now, I must stand still and inspect this object flying towards me at 60mph!

[@Josh-cn5yp]

Ever heard of the phrase: "like a deer in headlights"?

[@SwrveYT]

@@Josh-cn5yp yes, many many times. Why?

[@Rover200Power]

Deer are bloody lunatics. A few months ago I was on my way home and spotted a deer walking slowly down the verge on the left side of the road, so I slowed down and moved over to the right to pass it (no other traffic around). At that moment the deer decided it was the perfect time to casually cross the road to get into another field, in the end I had to steer quite sharply to the left to avoid the suicidal maniac.

[@hansiesma16]

@@Rover200Power I blame the parents who obviously did not teach this animal the Highway Code. Equivocally it’s like expecting a 3 year old child to have some Road sense.

[@JonSmith-cx7gr]

As crazy as it sounds, on the way home from a party I once hit a very large emperor penguin!! No idea if it survived as I was so freaked out that I just kept driving. I expected to hear about a penguin having escaped from the zoo but all the media were interested in was a local nun who'd gone missing or something.

[@saadselkent367]

"Why did the penguin cross the road?"

[@Rhole]

I ran over a cat at ~50mph on a long straight bypass about 2 months after passing my test. It came running out the corn field to my right. Nothing was behind me so i tried to brake and avoid it. But it was no use and i hit the cat around where the towing eye cover is. I stopped and walked back to the cat as it was laid in the middle of the road. Its a road used heavily with trucks with an Aldi RDC just around the corner. It was actually still alive somehow. I carried it to the side of the road so it did not end up crushed by a truck. I rang Barnsley Council who have a hotline for this kind of thing. They came and removed the cat later that night after I told them where it was. It died just after moving it. Awful, no matter what animal it is.

[@robloxfan4271]

Yet alone the poor owner of the cat, must of been very upsetting for them but from the sounds of things it wasnt your fault

[@KrozMcD]

You did the right thing. Many people don't do anything and the owners are left not knowing what happened to their poor cat. Good for you

[@aBunnyThatWillChewOnYourCables]

I lost my cat because somebody ran her over on our street. They broke her two back legs and pelvis and just left her there on the street. We wouldn't even have known what happened to her if the poor thing hadn't crawled back by itself to our house. I still remember seeing her little face (she wasn't even a year old, was only about 9 months old), she was laying down on the patio at the back of the house, meowing really loudly to get our attention. Me and my mum noticed that and opened the back door to let her in, she wouldn't move, so we went up towards her and that's when we noticed that she was covered in her own faeces and something was wrong with her legs. We put her in a box instead of her pet carrier so that it would be more comfortable for her as she could spread out. And then took her to the vet. They treated her and I remember saying goodbye (a hope to see you soon goodbye rather than goodbye goodbye) as she was lying in her little incubator. We went home and then woke up the next day to a phone call from the vet to tell us that she didn't make it through the night. I was so gutted. I never ever thought that we'd lose her that day, she was still so young and the vet sounded confident that they could fix her back legs etc. Unfortunately, it turned out that she suffered internal bleeding during the night :( If she had been brought to the vet sooner and she wouldn't have to crawl back to our garden (she must have jumped through the fence somehow as well to get in the garden, the poor thing) then maybe she would've had higher chances of survival. I was only a kid back then, and I remember crying for such a long period of time. Couldn't get over losing her. It was the first major loss of a family member that I was old enough to process and remember. Took a big toll on me, couldn't focus in school etc. Life just felt very shit for a couple of weeks. Was a horrible experience. I wish she hadn't suffered as much :(

[@BioTheHuman]

@@aBunnyThatWillChewOnYourCables Thanks of the sharing. I really can't understand how commenters say so easily "just run over it, isn't your fault". I'm really afraid of the day when inevitably I'll run over some animal, but no way I could let him there and don't even try to bring it to the vet...

[@aero3318]

@@aBunnyThatWillChewOnYourCables thanks so much for sharing, this brought me to tears.

[@Spacewizzard090]

I don't appreciate you using footage of me on my morning stroll at 5:47, Ashley

[@Fasty8Gaming]

aight sherlock, be a little more kind smh

[@theaeroflyexperience2233]

Why did you send it? Then

[@drnotuseless]

it’s a joke

[@JAMproducers]

Haha 🐖

[@Ryan-nq3qp]

Spacewizzard090 You must work at the Merseyside Police!

[@Abigail-Rebecca]

5:50 What a roadhog!

[@johnb8956]

Dash cammers would probably put their foot to the floor and blast the horn, before shouting abuse at the now dead wildlife 😅

[@Puddingtops]

😂😂😂 True !

[@RunnerBeanzDad]

"You're in the wrong lane!!!"

[@sausage2293]

You're on camera knobhead!

[@LoadingGames.]

That's reserved for humans, they would probably roll the car to avoid the dear little cat

[@robloxfan4271]

Then upload the clip and blame the dead animal

[@lou_jk]

A man driving around 40mph into my estate hit a little cat right in front of myself and my partner. We were absolutely horrified as he seemed to speed up when he saw it, and drove straight off like nothing happened. Some people just shouldn’t be driving!

[@chrisatye]

Pulled over to let some cows past a few years ago, and one of them decided the quickest way around was over my bonnet. Scratched paint job, dented bonnet, broken wing mirror... cow was fine :-)

[@damedusa5107]

God you must have been pissed off, good that you can laugh about it now , it’s a story

[@Nnn30055]

Eat it’s dad

[@ianhill4585]

It's probably seen you at a burger drive through, karma's a beeatch. The burger fights back. 🍔

[@Explore2Adore]

Cow had beef about something

[@R_5_D]

I'm not sure any of us were concerned about your wife in the passenger se- Oh... you mean the cow on the road.

[@robchissy]

around where i live, seagulls are a big problem, i've hit a few of them myself, had to ramp off a multi-story car park, but still got them

[@paulsengupta971]

Funny thing, there were three seagulls in the road (and a couple of pigeons) getting at some food in the road as I was driving to work this morning. I was about 25 miles from the sea. I drew up almost to a stop. The seagulls took off and flew towards me, up and over my car. The pigeons just stood there until I drove up alongside. One stayed in the road as I passed, the other took off. Then the second one took off after the fact.

[@will4may175]

I passed my test in 93, my instructor told me that if I braked for a dog that had run out and a car hit me from behind, it was my fault, this surprised me that I am expected just to run it over, and how was it my fault as the driver behind was obviously too close, also, what if it was a person that had run out ? am I still at fault if if I brake for a child and a car hits me ? Very confusing.

[@Claire-zz9pj]

Exactly! I think the same. That’s what stopping distances are for so you don’t go into the back of someone if they brake suddenly, regardless of what they’re braking for. Like you said, a cat could just as likely be a child running out. Split second reactions don’t allow time to decide whether to run it over or not!!!

[@davidellis8141]

I would disagree with driving instructor any car that hits you from behind is at fault, too close or not paying attention.

[@ColinMill1]

I passed my test in '75 and I'm sure the advice was that you should brake to avoid an animal but not swerve.

[@mattkaythetimelord]

@James Stewart It probably also depends on where you are in the country and what the animal is? In the new forest, I've always been taught that horses at least (and maybe some of the other animals) have priority so if you hit one you would be at fault and charged for it, whether there was someone behind you or not.

[@LoadingGames.]

Your instructor was pretty sh**

[@roryisbest5]

Sometimes I get roadkill that can be made into a variety of dishes, but the problems come from deciding what you do with it's bike

[@kaigordon2900]

👀

[@Interknetz]

I couldn't help but laugh at this xD

[@supergeekjay]

Run it through a shredder? Shredded bike! Mmm. Who needs shredded wheat?

[@fluxant]

I hit a couple of animals but the insurance company wouldn’t pay out to repair the damage , it’s was two deer

[@ollieb9875]

*groan* 😌😳🙄😅

[@amandah5478]

Uuuurrrrrrr.........😝

[@johnny2hats330]

Also, one tip on deer, if you ever hit and injure an adult deer, don't approach it because they're strong and fast and can do you a really serious injury. Second tip on deer, if you see one, there's almost definitely more of them close by!

[@p.a.1675]

Absolutely. Deer and wild boars live in groups. Even if you passed one, slow down anyway, as the chance there's another one around is quite high. Very unpredictable too. I had one jumping out of nowhere right before my car. Luckily I was doing maybe 10 km/h because I spotted another one just a moment before that and slowed down. At night they get completely blinded by the lights.

[@kevinsmith9382]

Good advice. Best to call the police if the deer is injured. They have a list of people they can call on, usually game keepers, who are licensed to 'deal' with an injured deer.

[@johnny2hats330]

@@kevinsmith9382 Yeah definitely. I once had to free a stag from a fence where it had become entangled. Even though it was exhausted as it had been struggling for hours, it took all my strength to get it under control so it could be cut loose. So I definitely wouldn't want to go up against a fresh one, whether it was injured or not!

[@wayneevans7376]

if you hit one with no eyes you,'ll have No ideer ;)

[@owenwood8385]

Hit a deer at 60mph a few weeks after passing my test, ruined the front of my car. Taught me to always take it that bit slower when driving down country roads at dawn/dusk.

[@ynotnilknarf39]

harsh lesson learnt! About 20 years ago I used to commute across country fairly early hours and there's a village with a steepish uphill section through the centre of a wood on the route. About halfway up it goes from 30 to 40, but I'd always stick to 30 until I cleared the wooded section as you never know. One morning there was a bambi standing plum in the middle of the lane, it took me a second or so to acknowledge it and it seemed to be well camouflaged and my old Astra's lights were not all that amzing, it just stood there, I slowed and drove around it and everything was fine. The other problem is that many NSL roads are simply not fit/safe to be so for many reasons other than wildlife, and that applies to daytime as well.

[@Jk-oz5qn]

I know someone who hit a deer on his motorcycle going 60mph broke his leg and writ his bike off

[@Grahamvfr]

Good subject, few bits of stuff I hadn't thought of there. As a keen motorcyclist deers are always a big concern.

[@cestparti7577]

And badgers ! I hit one on my bike about 10 years ago - stayed on but shattered the foot peddle and the gears £400 (and change) damage.

[@Grahamvfr]

Incidently Ashley, I've never seen an animal run out on the hazard perception videos.. Now that would throw the cat amongst the pigeons.. Ahem.

[@benblakemore745]

I had one in mine. A cat running out from behind a parked car

[@Grahamvfr]

@@benblakemore745 hmmm interesting, wasn't aware of that, never shows on practice vids. Thanks

[@pugsterjosh7925]

Main one i’ve seen is the snowy scene where the deer runs out after a bend

[@rampak1]

Pheasants have so little road sense I'm surprised there are any left at all

[@andyalder7910]

They're imported from Europe each year where they've been bred in factory farms. No parents to teach them the green cross code.

[@Aoderic]

Pheasants don't really belong in Europe, they have been introduced for hunting, so if you see a pheasant anywhere in Europe, it is most likely bred on a farm and released for hunting. Only a few survive a couple of seasons in the wild.

[@Interknetz]

@@andyalder7910 Not an uncommon failing in education among animals then!

[@shropshireladoutdoors743]

Pheasants suicidal from the day they are born

[@cestparti7577]

@@Aoderic Had the same pheasant living round garden for 5 years. The fox got it the same week it took a chicken and a duck.

[@mgprewett]

Ah, the fun of extendable dog leads. I once went round a corner of a narrow country road, concentrated on the group of pedestrians walking abreast in the road, and did not see the dog lead extending right across the road to a tiny rodent-like dog. I was going very slow, and although the car pulled the lead out of the owner's hand, no harm done, although much consternation.

[@nigelcox1451]

Had a learner manage to stop a wheel on top of an extending lead once. That was fun, watching the owner try to work out how to retrieve the dog with the lead trapped.

[@Stettafire]

I HATE extendable dog leads. Dangerous vile things

[@Stettafire]

@@nigelcox1451 Yes, sounds awful. In my own case I only use fixed leads and I carry a spare (I've had leads break on me before). So I'd unclip from the harness and clip the new lead back on. I'd hold the dog by the harness if need be until I could get them back to safety. (I always walk mine with a harness too, much more comfortable for the dog then putting pressure on their tiny neck bones. Pressure = force/area)

[@peterz7752]

When I worked in London (streatham area) as a roadsweeper I saw (in daylight) a fox chasing a squirrel on the street. This was about 10 years ago

[@shardlake]

Good advice, called the police when I struck a badger, which was not badly injured, they called a local badger rescue centre who arrived really quickly. As a bonus they let me know when the furry friend was recovered and returned to the wild :)

[@nicktucker4434]

Hi Ashley, I live in rural East Devon & over the years I have knocked down several rabbits on my evening trips around the countryside. I've also found many that have recently been knocked down by someone else, that are still warm & rigor mortis has not yet set in. I make a quick check to see that their eyes are clear & bright, so no signs of myxomatosis where the eyes are dull, puffed up & swollen. It's known as "Roadkill". I take them home, remove the guts, skin & joint them & make lovely stew or casserole. 🐇🧅🥕🥘😋 I'm not too keen on pheasant but there are some shoots around here where they are bred & let loose to be shot, it's common to find them run over & I know some people take these home. I did once have a back leg of a deer that had been knocked down by a transit van, a couple of vehicles in front of me, just off the A303 in Somerset Luckily a sharp knife was available. 🙂

[@hozzer68]

Having lived in the North West Highlands of Scotland , when driving at night we always try driving with dipped headlights in the glens because the deer come down from the hillsides and stand at the edges of the road, the full bean tends to startle and cause panic and the will in most cases run across the path of the vehicle, I have had 2 deer slide across my bonnet and clipped another, all 3 were were when I had full beam on lessons learned, since keeping dipped headlights on the deer tend to stay where they are and you can pass safely.

[@palemale2501]

You must be aware of traffic ahead and behind you, then decide (in a split second) if it is safe to brake or swerve versus an animal's death and your likely vehicle damage if you hit it. Think over these 3 possible actions now and then, to be better prepared for this rare eventuality - may be better to kill an animal than yourself and a family in an oncoming vehicle by swerving, or lose control and hit a pedestrian, or rammed by a vehicle behind you. Slowing down is not a solution for a hidden animal as it can quickly slip out in front of you at the very last second - you could travel at 30 mph and still get caught out by this - I killed a fox in town this way - how about silent EVs ?.

[@TinyPigy282]

I've had several close calls but always wondered what i should do

[@DashCamSheffield]

...tell them to put the phone down and talk to you directly if they're that close... (seeing as the comments are full of jokes today)

[@hansiesma16]

It's not rocket science. If you have an ounce of humanity then you either end its suffering or take it to a vet. Prior to that you slow right down when you see an animal on the road, unlike this typical driver who drove into both the pheasants.

[@TinyPigy282]

@@hansiesma16 when they launch out infront of you there is only a few seconds to react, if there's a vehicle behind you will most likely have to hit it..ffs

[@maybenot6075]

@@hansiesma16 you can see the driver brake 🙄 if it's a pigeon or the likes I'd rather hit it than risk someone running into my rear end, alot more people need to learn that a bird in the road doesnt warrant causing a collision avoiding it

[@hansiesma16]

@@TinyPigy282 That pheasant didn't launch out of anywhere. The driver chose to drive into like the pheasant should have known its Highway Code. Presumably if it was a deer he would have stopped out of concern for his car. No ffs about it. People need to use their nut and do what's necessary in a given situation. Now hopefully you'll know what to do!

[@b0ngkong349]

A friend of mine hit a deer at 60 on his bike a few years ago, he's like 40% pins and rods now.

[@1977JohnBoy]

should of made them from the deers bones and be a good souvineer!

[@ColinMill1]

Reminds me of the "Punch" spoof advert when the AA first went into publishing in a big way. One of the titles on offer was "The AA Guide to 2-Dimensional Wildlife"

[@highdownmartin]

Punch. Now that’s a blast from the past Mr Fayed

[@neiltill7414]

I'd forgotten about sending you that clip Ashley of the near miss with the deer that was really squeaky bum time, how I missed it I will never know.

[@BeastyBill88]

I thought the legislation had been updated so that you have to report to the police if you've hit a cat aswell? But yeah we have to deal with suicidal rabbits at my work place, they always decide run in front of my patrol van at the last second lol.

[@liviodias]

Thanks for the information and video clips. I had absolutely no clue about this.

[@jeroenrodenboog3815]

Absolutely love this channel. Amazing information and very helpful. Greetings from The Netherlands.

[@johnny2hats330]

My aunt has a history of sudden and unexpected driving failures and she inexplicably hit a cow once, even though she saw it in advance and wasn't speeding. God only knows what happened between her seeing the cow and her hitting the cow.

[@Aoderic]

About 18 years ago I was in Botswana with a guy from Luton, we where in the bush and he was driving, suddenly a heard of cows jumped onto the road about 30 feet in front of us, he said that it felt like slow motion and the car became unstoppable, we hit a cow like it was a brick wall. I think maybe your aunt had a similar experience?.

[@johnny2hats330]

@@Aoderic Nah that sounds way too relatable...it was definitely something mad

[@Aoderic]

@@johnny2hats330 If you are talking about mad Aunts, then I've had couple of those, so I find it highly plausible that yours could be one. My fathers sister hit him with a car once, he was fine though, but she never drove again. Why it happened was never explained, but they had a bit of sibling rivalry, so maybe?.. Anyway that's a long time ago, and they are both playing the harp somewhere in the clouds.

[@dreamcrusher112]

Sudden and uncontrollable brain failure is my guess. Happens to many people lol

[@ianhill4585]

Makes ya wonder, why she was even driving in that field!? 🤔

[@Mr.M1STER]

This reminds me of a scary moment a few years ago when myself and my brother were travelling along in his car and a loose horse was coming galloping towards our car. Luckily we moved safely into the hard shoulder and the horse went around us but I always thought that if that horse had decided to jump our car and not make it it could have seriously hurt of killed us. We were lucky that day.

[@trueriver1950]

Horses usually have a good idea of what they can jump, and are less likely to be over optimistic without a rider urging them on. So the horse would be very unlikely to try to jump a car

[@edwardhiggs7671]

I am really loving these videos, very informative and also your instinct on instantly explaining deer straight away was spot on, the second i saw deer on the list of animals you dont report i was confused and said why not deer? And almost like you heard me you answered it! Very good anticipation :) Your videos should be used in training scenarios.

[@cmben6966]

just seen a vid uplaoded 2 weeks ago of the indoor football merseyside derby from 2009 and I couldnt beleive it when i saw you ash, a very weird small world moment as im from Northampton and it never clicked youre the son of phil neal but it was a good laugh seeing you absolutely smash a shot over the bar in that game haha. Keep up the good vids!

[@raftonpounder6696]

5:32 extendable dog leads should be banned. The whole point of a lead is to keep the dog under control. Not to let it run ten feet away from you when it feels like it.

[@alexphillips9041]

people need to only use these in parks, extendable leads are training aids, not a solution to the owner's inability/laziness to teach the dog to walk to heel or basic recall!

[@raftonpounder6696]

@@alexphillips9041 exactly. A dog is happiest walking to heel. It knows you’re in charge and it can relax and enjoy the walk.

[@Aimee0206]

Honestly, there needs to be stricter rules when it comes to walking dogs next to roads. I've seen people walking their dogs off lead next to main roads, walking their dog on an extendable lead at a ridiculous length (i.e., the dog was on one side of the road and the owner was on the other), or wearing pitch black clothing whilst walking their dog in the dead of night. Stupid people like this are gonna end up getting their dog seriously injured or killed.

[@tez.3508]

nothing to do with the lead, everything to do with the owners irresponsibility.

[@raftonpounder6696]

@@tez.3508 if you use an extendable lead you are an irresponsible owner. That’s the point.

[@grahamlong6870]

In an area where pastured animals are free to roam, as in the New Forest, or national park, bear in mind that you are responsible for any damage or death to said animal. In fact those on Ashley's first list. Wild animals (such as deer) are not subject to law, and if you hit one you cannot make a claim except to your insurance company. As these can leap out from anywhere it pays to go steady and keep your eyes peeled. Mostly, insurance claims are doubtful on payout. Also in the case of anything edible (pheasant etc) only a car behind can pick it up, otherwise it goes down as a deliberate hit, and therefore poaching.

[@ayymao1017]

Guess I'll just do a u-turn and come around again to not get done for poaching.

[@aziggerzagger]

Another great video Ash. I have had the unfortunate consequence of hitting a couple of deers. Which on both occasions done some major damage to my vehicles. On both times I reported it to the police, and on both occasions they thanked me of making them aware. What I would like to point out is another factor to take into account for deers is the rutting season between September and November when the deers are more active and migrate across the open fields alot more. Plus they also seem in my unprofessional opion to take more risks when crossing roads.

[@MartinParnham]

I used to live in an area where there was a large area of forest/AONB nearby with a relatively high deer population. Accidents involving deer were not uncommon and there were signs up on a couple of roads warning about it and telling you to report any collisions involving deer. Fortunately, I never hit one but I came across a few. The advice to wait and see if any other animals try and run out after the first one is good as that often seems to happen with deer - one goes and then there's usually others a couple of seconds behind.

[@robertkustos2931]

I've took road kill home for my slow cooker , rabbits , pheasants .Not found a fresh kill deer yet . I see plenty on the M180 , but can't stop there , it's 3 lanes.

[@TheUkdan02]

I thought you were supposed to speed up and aim right at them whilst blaring the horn, especially if it's on a mini roundabout?

[@bexhillbiker]

A point I usually add to my associates is “Rutting Season”. This usually happens between 7 - 10 days in October, so for safety sakes, lets just say its October!

[@driving_all_over]

As someone who lives in the Forest of Dean where deer (plus sheep and boar) are very common this is an interesting watch, cheers mate.

[@TheMuddatrucker]

In 16 years of constants nights to and from Felixstowe I’ve hit 1 deer! A14 Cambridge 😞 2am I was westbound and watched it run across both lanes of the eastbound carriageway and jump the central reservation straight into the front corner of my bumper. The only wild animal I’ve found to reliably react to the sound of a horn is a rabbit, if you blip the horn then almost every single time the rabbit will dash to the nearest piece of grass or tress which is helpful because it means you don’t need to slow down, but do it to a hare and it’ll run zigzags all over the road and make you panic brake! So best to just keep your foot flat and take a long blink.

[@user-go7mc4ez1d]

Was driving with my friend once and he did a violent last-second swerve on a country lane to avoid a pheasant. I gave him such a bollocking

[@user-go7mc4ez1d]

@James Stewart thankfully not, the problem was mainly the risk of losing control of the vehicle and that it was his reflex to swerve (meaning he might've done it even had there been other traffic)

[@pussinboots1145]

I don't think pheasants take much notice when you give them a bollocking.

[@nigelcox1451]

It is instinctive to swerve, but needs to be faught. Animals see vehicles as simple predators, but territorial, as we only hunt on the black stuff. Prey animals are usually slower than their predators, so will swerve to avoid being caught, being more agile. Before impact with most animals, they will swerve. If you keep straight, there's a better chance of a miss. Swerve and it's 50-50 if you go the same way.

[@qasimmir7117]

Puss In Boots 😂😂😂

[@citrusblast9327]

Couldn't car less about the car, too much wildlife is destroyed just for our convenience

[@buchan448]

agree pal

[@cestparti7577]

You got deeper pockets than me then !

[@soloperformer5598]

Do you eat meat?

[@Professional_Youtube_Commenter]

I was driving along a quiet motorway,. it was around 1pm - driving towards london from cheltenham so not much traffic about. Some big bird was just flying along - not a care in the world and decided to land right in front of my front left wheel. drove over it - gave me a shock. I tapped the brake a bit just before the collision. But decided to carry on driving and not brake fully and just hold the steering wheel tight. My concern was the bird might have dmaaged the brake hoses while on the motorway, so I did a bit of test braking and stopped at the next few services to check my brake fluid level to make sure it's not losing fluid.

[@AlexMckillmore]

Haven't watched yet, but I'll try and answer the title of the video. So I feel its a trick question, as most people would agree that upon hitting an animal, you should pull over and stop as soon as it is safe to do so. Apply the handbrake and turn off the engine. Then walk back to the animal you have hit and proceed to teabag it. I suspect that is too obvious an answer. Other actions that could be undertaken in such a circumstance are as follows: 1. Roadside bbq 2. Lash carcass to bonnet and take home as a trophy. 3. Mouth to mouth. 4. Staple a note to carcass saying "soz lol" 5. Jump start. 6. Use as ramp. Really can't think of anything else at the moment.

[@was4wa]

I love animals so much it makes me really sad when they are hurt in any way :((

[@soloperformer5598]

You're a vegetarian?

[@DangerMuffu]

don't drive then 😂

[@was4wa]

As a direct result of these devastating, life changing, traumatic, soul shuddering and tragic events, i have ceased driving now. I have become deeply traumatised and severely anxious after hearing horror stories and seeing cute innocent animals killed under these circumstances.

[@djwindhoek]

Big thanks for not showing footage of life-ending contact!

[@neilholmes8200]

I think its kind of sad that cats are treated differently to dogs as it appears to lead to people not stopping even if they could, or having hit one, making no effort to stop after and check. Fortunately some will, but you often see on local news pages about cats being knocked down and just left where they are or where they crawled to. Before I passed my test I remember passing one on a major road in Birkenhead. I took photos and mentioned it on the local pages in case the owner was looking for the poor thing I've been fortunate enough since passing my test to not be in that position, but if I did, I'm damn sure I'd make an effort to help the animal and try to locate the owner

[@zukadacoolestgames5087]

cuz cat owners dont want them to be on leashes

[@bluwusky5167]

Had a very near miss with a pheasant the other day, I couldn't slow down because there was a VW Beetle up my backside and I really wasn't sure what to do except try and steer away from the bird as it wandered blindly across the carriageway. Excellent vid, this makes things much clearer

[@kiradotee]

"and then you also need to look out for the owner" 😂😂😂 Comedy gold

[@streetster20]

Sad that cats are exempt from the list, I'm aware that there have been petitions to get them included on the list of legally required animals to report if you hit them. Also, I find that foxes are often more common in cities/built-up areas than in the countryside!

[@LoadingGames.]

It is odd... Cats are almost definitely somebody's pet, I don't think I could just leave a cat if I hit one, not without knocking on all the doors around first to find out who's it is

[@cptlatency428]

@@LoadingGames. You would be surprised at the sheer amount of people who don't even seem to react after hitting a cat, I've had a friend who's had two cats killed by cars and just left in the road to rot, I've also had to cover a dead cat with cloth so school children walking by wouldn't be traumatized

[@keith6400]

I think you will find that the reason cats are not listed with dogs etc. is that you do not legally own cats. They are regarded as simply living with you. All the listed animals can be deemed as owned by someone and in this respect the owners have a legal responsibility in relation to public liability over any damage the animal causes. If your dog runs out in the road causing an accident you can be sued. Strangely the same applies to deer where they are farmed as a herd then the farmer has a responsibility of keeping them safely penned. This is a subtle difference with farmed or wild deer. Cat owners should not want their animals covered as you are going to need public liability insurance to cover you against being sued but the chances of them being hurt will remain the same whatever.

[@zzhughesd]

Good one Ash. Didn’t know myself and 101 also good pointer.

[@Wolfie2467890]

Remember to only contact the RSPCA if you live, or the incident happens in England or Wales. If in Scotland you should contact the SSPCA! Unsure about who you should contact in Northern Ireland, anywhere else in the world.

[@TheCloudWalking]

5:30 I wonder if the dog got hit. Looks like a close call if it didn't make contact.

[@ashley_neal]

The dog wasn't hit. Have a look kzbin.info/www/bejne/enOUknWAgJmXbq8

[@GMBasix]

It is one example of why I hate extendable leads. Either have control over your dog or don’t [but... do]; but don’t pretend.

[@LoadingGames.]

Nearly decapitated a dog like this not long ago, same situation except a child had the dog on a lead by a country lane, mum was too busy looking at some crap on her phone 😒

[@johnrich6928]

@@ashley_neal Road Traffic Act 1980? 1988 surely.

[@johnbower7452]

That's interesting as Deer used to have to be reported. As to calling 101 they have become useless; all they do is tell you that you should have used the internet. :(

[@shropshireladoutdoors743]

Just put it in the boot bring it to my house

[@Chalkie1983]

Some great advice thank you, we get a lot of seagulls where I live in Hastings, they like to scrounge on the road and get startled and fly straight into your car, if its safe I normally stop and disperse them, if there is something on the road I will use a shovel I keep in my boot to move it to the verge to prevent them gathering in the road. When we head to the new forest and animals are present on the road I always put my hazards on if I'm driving much slower than the limit, that way anyone coming from behind knows there is a hazard preventing me from going the normal speed.

[@stevencole9105]

Very useful video, thanks for this Ashley

[@ldsnathanielu]

6:01 why did the pig cross the road? To get away from the butcher

[@skylarius3757]

Now someone needs to edit in a butcher xD

[@ronniebiggs4026]

To stalk a young girl

[@ollieb9875]

I was outside a pub quite deep in the new forest some time ago now 🙄 theres this massive pig oinking down the road with a massive queue of traffic behind it, pig don't care at all where you gotta be 😳😅

[@piggypiggypig1746]

@James Stewart exactly

[@Rover200Power]

Where I live the swans like to walk up a pontoon for launching boats, then around the corner and across a narrow bridge with room for traffic to enter from one direction at a time. Watching a queue of cars following a swan is quite entertaining. A few times the swans have become disorientated and ended up walking for nearly half a mile down the road before some drivers got out of their cars and helped to usher it back towards the river.

[@reachandler3655]

This reminded me of a friend. Years ago he riding his motorcycle when a cow ran into him. He broke bones in wrist and arm, his bike was a write-off, the cow? Gave him a dirty look and walked away!

[@dianebryan8595]

Thank you, very helpful. We have a lot of foxes near us in Coventry, and badgers, i live near a nature reserve. Unfortunately there are people that deliberately drive at animals in tbe road, with the intention of hitting them. I had a hedgehog cross in front of me once I did check there was no one behind me. He stopped, so I turned my lights off and he ran safely to the other side. I did turn my lights back on again.

[@dylanyoungs8313]

The police non-emergency number recently has had wait times so great they've suggested people email them instead.

[@ianhill4585]

It'll be pigeon post next,(let's hope the pigeon doesn't get hit by a car. )Then mental telepathy will be suggested for your next method of contact.

[@AlexanderWright1]

I hit a pheasant with my car in Dorset. It was very tasty and didn't have any lead shot like they sometimes do.

[@johnny2hats330]

You want to be careful doing that, or at least careful there's no one watching. I've seen people get accused of theft for lifting birds that belonged to a shoot or gun club.

[@andyalder7910]

It belongs to the driver of car behind you.

[@VeyronBD]

You hit it wrong though and the tyre marks really ruin the meal.

[@johnny2hats330]

@@andyalder7910 In theory I'm fairly sure the pheasant still belongs to whoever bought it and released it. Although I understand there are some wild pheasant populations in the south of England. Presumably it's an all-you-can situation for the wild ones.

[@andyalder7910]

@@johnny2hats330 I think you'll find they're classified as wild animals once released, I keep finding "Classified as livestock when being reared in an enclosed pen, but then reclassified as ‘wild birds’ when they are released into the wild to be shot". It makes sense since it's illegal to shoot livestock so during the shooting season nobody owns them.

[@kieranhendy]

Speaking of residential areas - I was coming home one night early in the morning and came across a deer just a few turns from my house. Wouldn’t have ever expected it considering how far the nearest woodland is!

[@craigevans6156]

Ashley, The RSPCA is an English and Welsh organisation, there are other animal charities operating in Scotland (SSPCA) and NI.

[@fattyMcGee97]

Unfortunately this was before I had a dashcam: I was out on a late night cruise last year towards the end of January. It was icy on the single lane B road I was on so I was going fairly slow to begin with. I turned a corner and to my surprise I saw a deer just having a dump in the middle of the road like it was nothing. The thing looked a touch surprised to see me but all I could do was come to a stop and burst out laughing. Not what I expected to encounter that night, but it cheered me up haha Different story from my mate that I witnessed now: he was driving both of us home from work a few months ago, just doing 60 on an A road. It was fairly late so nobody was around. A deer leaped out on to the road in front of him and he had absolutely no time to react. He smashed into it at full speed and launched the poor thing into a field. No clue if it survived, but I now know this one thing for sure: A pre-facelift Volvo V70 D5 will not take any damage from a deer at 60mph. Cannot say I’ve ever seen an deer go flying like that before!

[@soloperformer5598]

A lot depends on how edible it might be.

[@ht2941]

Good video, thanks for the good information. It is also important, should you hit anything to pull over as soon as safe to do so and check for any damage or anything caught up in the bodywork. When I was first driving I hit a crow, and the car began to overheat, when I stopped I found the crow stuck across the radiator grill which had stopped the airflow!

[@donaldasayers]

Unfortunately I had a sheep dive in front of my car and get killed (eweicide...) I was doing less than 30 at the time. It severely damaged the front suspension. I phoned my brother to ask what to do and he just said strap it over the bonnet... I was actually really upset about it. I saw a red deer get taken out on the A170 to Scarborough many years ago, my first thought was Venison! and stopped, but by the time I got to it big burly types were already coming to blows over it. Got sick of Pheasant one year.

[@brad619celtic]

I’ve been watching for a while now and I must say this is one of the least informative. Should you not be informing your younger or less common sensed viewers that if you do hit an animal in the road (even if it is one of the ones that doesn’t need reported) you need to remove it from the road or contact 101 or the local council as soon as possible?, I cannot count the amount of times I’ve almost hit a dead deer in the middle of the road and on a few occasions have actually hit the dead animals causing significant damage to my car. It’s all about removing further danger to other road users aswell, if you’ve hit something and it’s in the middle of the road and Is a danger to other road users should it not be that person’s responsibility to make sure it’s removed?

[@LoadingGames.]

Surely it's common sense to not just leave a deer in the middle of the road? I know common sense is at an all time low the past 12 months or so but still...

[@cptlatency428]

@@LoadingGames. The other guys right, people don't move dead animals from the road, I've almost hit dead deer and all sorts of other animals left in the road

[@royfearn4345]

Anyway, venison's good for you if hung properly after butchering.

[@oiyou5870]

Depends if it's edible or not, 🤤 lovely bit of phasant.

[@ollieb9875]

Rules of the countryside are you have to leave it for the person behind, you can't take it yourself. I guess to discourage people aiming for them 🤔

[@eddiegremlin]

I was driving home from my buddies place which is out in the middle of nowhere. I've done this drive a dozen times so I wasn't paying much attention to the road, giving glances to my phone. Saw the street light ahead about a mile or so down the road when BOOM, I hit something. I stopped my car and looked down the road to see a pig laying on its side. I checked my car and didn't see any real damage. I looked around and saw no street or farm signs or anything of the like. The pig then tried to get up but fell down again. He looked at me with a "help me" look in his face but I was no vet and wasn't planning on throwing him in the back of the car. He looked rattled but seemed to have no serious injury to him (no blood, head was intact, no missing limbs, etc), so I decided to get out of there. The next day we get a knock at the door and my wife answers the door. She yells to me, "babe the cops are here for you..." I go to the door and one of the cops says, "hello sir I'm officer White and this is officer Smith, we would like to ask you a couple questions." "Okay, how can I help you officers?" "Well, you can start by telling me where you were last night" "I went to my buddies house out by the ranches to play some cards and came home" I said. "Okay, do you drive a white Honda Civic with license plate ...." "Yes" I said, "what is this about" "Sorry sir but we have a report from a local farmer that you were involved in a felony hit and run with his pig. Unfortunately we are going to have to take you in" I tried pleading my case by saying that there was no one around and that I looked for signs for someone to call but found none, but they didn't seem to care. They put the cuffs on me and I started to walk to their car. As I made the walk I looked at one of the officers, "sir, I'm sorry but how did this even come about? Who told the farmer that I had hit the pig? I don't understand. It was in the middle of nowhere, no one was around and it was night out." I started to sit down in the back of the car and right before he closed the door he said, "the pig squealed"

[@MrSunrise-]

Near the town I grew up in North Central British Columbia, there was a mysterious truck accident. The semi left the road and spilled its load. The driver was very dead. In the course of the investigation, a deer was found behind the driver. After much legwork, the police found that a deer had leaped in front of a motorhome, bounced off high into the air and across the center line and through the windscreen of the truck. Sometime, the wildlife just has your number on it.

[@SQUIZZLER24]

It’s also worth noting that a lot of animals - either pets or wildlife - are more active at either dusk or dawn, so that’s when they’re most likely to be crossing roads to move between areas. As you said in the video, deer especially are very large and very durable animals, so often if you hit one, they are likely to get up and run off even despite your car likely being totalled, but they will often end up lying down and dying a short distance afterwards. If you report it, often a local wildlife officer will come out to put them down humanely, if they can be found. It’s grim, but it’s the best thing for the animal, ultimately. I work in the forestry sector, and on the roads adjacent to many of our woods, deer accidents are - sadly - a relatively common occurrence. Dropping your speed from 60 to 40 can save lives of animals, allow you more time to react and save you a massive bill, too.

[@ericgraham7026]

Sadly, many drivers do not use main beam when they can on rural roads but are still driving too fast - i.e. not driving at a speed whereby they are able to stop within the distance to be seen!

[@LiamS94]

I'm a magnet for foxes and cats on fast roads. One additional tip is never beep - half the time, their reaction is to stand still rather than run away.

[@TheodorBrb]

Very informative video , thank you !

[@sherrylawrencelewis2544]

Thank you very much for sharing and caring 😊

[@matthewjenkins1161]

I hit and killed a Rabbit about 20 years back. It was torrential rain as on a fast rural stretch I wasn't familiar with and a car far too close behind. As I went round, there were the eyes looking straight in to my headlights and I knew there was nothing I could do, without causing a much greater accident. I stopped where I could and went back to ensure it was actually dead and not laying there in pain. About 10 years back the car I was following, hit a Squirrel and just carried straight on. I pulled up and saw the little fella with his eye hanging out and did what had to be done. I could see he was too far gone for any vet to consider doing more and couldn't be responsible for prolonging his pain any further. On both occasions I felt truly awful about it.

[@mstocks3507]

I was driving home one night early hours, two foxes were playing on a small roundabout. As i slowed down one bolted but the other just stayed there and stared at me as i drove past. It was as if he was saying i shouldn't be out at that time of night. Wish id kept the footage now.

[@apsims12]

I remember one time I was in the hills near Harlech in Wales, the rain was pelting it down and a poor front loading dump truck with an open cockpit had to wait a full five minutes in front of us because some cows just refused to move. The guy turned around to us and just shrugged his shoulders at the situation with a smile on his face.

[@ProzYYnc]

What an interesting video honestly, I haven't really thought about this before, never knew what I would do if I was to hit an animal

[@phillwainewright4221]

I live near the New Forest, and animals have right of way. There are a LOT of them - horses, cattle, deer and pigs - all roaming wild. Needless to say, most of the fatalities are caused by visitors to the area. The scariest moment I had was coming round a bend on a stretch of 60mph road, doing about 50, at night, when a stag walked into the road. I stood on the brakes and the stag just stopped, looked at me for a moment, then wandered off!

[@ØgDêmøñFøxGamingHusband]

i hit a opossum tonight and i can not get it out of my head . i could not stop for the animal it ran out in front of my car . i tried to advoid hitting the animal but it was too late i heard a thud and i heard a pop sound . i feel like i experienced truama after i hit it accidentally how can i get this out of my head .

[@Explore2Adore]

I had a stag bolt out towards me at an angle. Narrowly missed it while driving about 55mph. The incident took place in a matter of a few seconds. I've slowed down for many a pheasant. When they are alone they generally just head across if given the time. When pheasants are together as a group they become less predictable. It only takes one to storm onto the road for the others at the side to follow suit when they shouldn't. That is when sometimes it can lead to carnage and you see about 3-5 dead bodies on the road.

[@louiehorwood660]

Back to the clip with the mini, can you be fined for stopping in the yellow box if you are avoiding an unexpected obstruction?

[@adilahmad7259]

Could probably appeal it successfully

[@shereenlawford3220]

Hi Ashley I don't know if you'll agree but I think it pays to make a note of numbers that you may need and keep them in the car, because when shock sets in you can't think clearly and keep a sweet drink on hand, good video

[@gixxerman69]

Pheasants can indeed cause significant damage to motor vehicles. A young girl a few doors away from me hit one. It came through the windscreen, luckily missing her head, took off the interior mirror, its claws ripped on the headlining and it then burst open when it hit the inside of the rear window making a right gory mess over the rear seats. The car was a write off. A hare I hit once broke my front bumper and fog light. Cost me £300 odd in repairs.

[@TheChipmunk2008]

LOL, i hit an already dead badger (first lockdown, i was driving tired, not recommended). Managed to flip it up into the exhaust system and effectively write of my cheap banger. :\ The irony that it was already dead... has haunted me ever since

[@MervynPartin]

I live in an area where deer are commonplace on the roads (more so after being expelled from the local "wildlife" reserves which have been fenced off in favour of cattle and sheep). They also are frequent visitors to my son's front door! Pheasants are suicidal and have even flown and cracked a window upstairs on a bus. It is always sad to see the dead animals at the roadside, but the advice you have given should be heeded by all. I don't know the situation in other areas, but in Thetford Forest, the Rangers are sometimes called out by the police for a dead or injured deer on the road and have a blue light for such incidents.

[@AlexLapinski]

I live in Clevedon which is a very popular tourist town. On a spring morning in 2018, a very busy time, I encountered a deer running right across the road by the seafront. Anything is possible!

[@hasenphelt526]

I work in security, the amount of wildlife that runs out in front of the vehicle is amazing, after years of doing this I dont try to avoid them but do slow down to try not to hit (lot of paperwork if damage to company vehicle).

[@huwprice881]

My mum managed to hit a fully grown stag in a village near us; she wasn’t sure if it was killed, and it had left a nice fringe of bristly hair around her cars wheel rim (!). When I went back it had gone, either it was stunned, or more likely the gastro pub opposite (The Stag!) had it for venison.

[@Qwertycritical]

In the country a number of animals like horses are being ridden by humans. Normally found to be just the corner of a blind bend, sometimes two abreast.