While drivers may be thinking about saving animals' lives when swerving to avoid them, they're neglecting to consider that they could be putting human lives in danger.
That's the message from the Minnesota State Patrol following the release of a video showing drivers on Interstate 35W near Mounds View swerving suddenly to avoid hitting a duck and its ducklings.
"I cringed when I saw it, because I was waiting for a crash," said Lt. Tiffani Nielson of the State Patrol. "Based on the swerving, the speed, the congestion, that was what I was expecting to happen."
In the Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic camera video, the ducks are seen crossing the southbound lanes of the 65-mph interstate about 4 p.m. Wednesday. Several cars are seen quickly braking and swerving into adjacent lanes and the shoulders to avoid the ducks, which appear to reach a grassy area on the side of the road unscathed.
"Nobody got hit, which I think is amazing -- including the ducks," Nielson said.
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But it could have turned out differently, if, for instance, someone had been changing a tire on the side of the road when one of the cars swerved into the shoulder, she said.
"If there was a fatal crash, I think people would very much regret not making a better decision," Nielson said.
She said that while she's not advocating for drivers to mow down animals on the freeway, people do need to make sure they're driving in a way that isn't a hazard.
Drivers who follow cars at a distance of 3 seconds or more and who scan the horizon 10 seconds ahead should be able to slow their speeds and make lane changes safely. However, some drivers are distracted, and you cannot be certain those in vehicles behind your or to your side are paying attention, Nielson said.
She also noted that it is illegal to stop on a freeway for a nonemergency.
When confronting an animal in the roadway, a general rule of thumb for drivers is to suddenly stop or swerve only if the animal is large and above your hood, Nielson said.
Deer, for instance, will rarely go over a hood in a crash, and it's generally less dangerous to strike one than it is to hit a tree or other fixed object on the side of the road, according to the State Patrol.
