Road kill

[Bob12345]

Last week I drove from Phuket to Bangkok and was unfortunate to hit a cat during the ride.

The little animal came running from the right on the highway and went straight for my front wheel, almost like it was trying to commit suicide. After hearing the double impact (hit it first, drove over it right after) I looked in my side mirror and saw the little creature lying on the road with just one crooked leg pointing up.

On the way back, again on a highway, a dog crossed the road without looking and I hit him with the middle of the bumper. It went under the car, crashed into the radiator, and damaged the car pretty well (AC stopped working immediately as the whole radiator was moved 5cm further into the car). Needless to say the dog did not survive. (i got the dashcam clip, but I dont think people actually want to see it)

It felt a bit strange to just continue driving as a wounded animal might be still on the road. But on the other hand there is not much you can do if the dog/cat was still alive. My wife quickly did a pray and said she would make merit in a temple later, and that was about it. I don't think I can blame myself in any way as I beeped as soon as the dog was crossing the road and I am not willing to swirl around as another car might be next to be (I also learned that you should never break or swirl around animals on the road as long as they are not taller than the hood of your car as it makes you much more likely to kill yourself or someone around you).

So let me ask you guys:
what have you hit (animals, other stuff) on Thai roads so far, what was the damage, and what did you do after it happened?

(besides a dog and a cat I also drove into an empty plastic bucket once when driving near Don Muang. Guess some truck lost it and I noticed it too late to switch lanes. It gave a pretty good bang and pieces of bucket splattered everywhere, but the bumper only had minor scratches).

[Costas2008]

OP, nothing you can do.

These things happen every day.

But, please can you come and start driving up and down my soi?

Too many dogs around........and they don't stop barking and howling

[Tim207]

My ex FIL once hit a young wild pig wit the motorbike. We roasted it on a spit in the back yard. That was some good roadkill.

[richard_smith237]

I see road kill on the Thai roads every journey.... dead dogs everywhere.. I doubt there is much more you could have done and by stopping on a major highway you would have placed yourself (and Wife / Family) in danger. Driving on is the only right thing to do on a major road.

Back in the UK on country roads I once hit a fox. It lay dead in the middle of the road, I thought it may cause an accident as someone tried to avoid it at night. I stopped, got out and approached the fox to remove it and place it in the hedge at the side of the road. As I touched the back of its neck (to pick it up) it turned round, snarled and nearly had my hand off... I hopped, squealed, skipped and jumped away...

I've not hit much on Thai roads other than Potholes and loads of Polystyrene and plastic bags which I assume have blown out of the back of pickups.

[nong38]

Like Thais they seem unaware of what is going on around them. Dogs esp sleep in the road, wander about in front of cars/trucks, just like motorbikes that just join the road without looking right it surprises me that there are not more deaths.

I have been lucky so far, even managed to miss snakes, for those that hit animals it is a difficult time, not to bothered about hitting dogs by and large untrained and a menace, cats are different, I feel more for them, snakes and other reptiles as well, once they are on their way there is no way back.

[Seastallion]

I see road kill on the Thai roads every journey.... dead dogs everywhere.. I doubt there is much more you could have done and by stopping on a major highway you would have placed yourself (and Wife / Family) in danger. Driving on is the only right thing to do on a major road.

Back in the UK on country roads I once hit a fox. It lay dead in the middle of the road, I thought it may cause an accident as someone tried to avoid it at night. I stopped, got out and approached the fox to remove it and place it in the hedge at the side of the road. As I touched the back of its neck (to pick it up) it turned round, snarled and nearly had my hand off... I hopped, squealed, skipped and jumped away...

I've not hit much on Thai roads other than Potholes and loads of Polystyrene and plastic bags which I assume have blown out of the back of pickups.

Have you seen that doco on Brits that go around collecting road kill for their pantry? One guy had everything from frozen road kill badger to road kill hedgehog in his freezer, all neatly bagged up and labelled, ready for cooking.. Bizarre.

[Bob12345]

My ex FIL once hit a young wild pig wit the motorbike. We roasted it on a spit in the back yard. That was some good roadkill.

That sounds good, better then dog cooked on the radiator.

Although I would not want to hit something that heavy and solid on a motorbike; i can imagine flipping over the steering wheel and the pig eating me instead.

[Bob12345]

Like Thais they seem unaware of what is going on around them. Dogs esp sleep in the road, wander about in front of cars/trucks, just like motorbikes that just join the road without looking right it surprises me that there are not more deaths.

I have been lucky so far, even managed to miss snakes, for those that hit animals it is a difficult time, not to bothered about hitting dogs by and large untrained and a menace, cats are different, I feel more for them, snakes and other reptiles as well, once they are on their way there is no way back.

That is a thing I also don't understand: how can these animals live near roads and not know how to cross safely?

I would expect the smarter ones to live long enough to reproduce and the dumber ones being killed in their first months. And still I see mature roadkill lying around everywhere. Maybe its just chance that some die at a later age.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Bob12345

[kannot]

If its on the road where it shoudlnt be it will get killed at some point, any owner who wants to run out saying I killed their dog will get a "my car will cost x0000 baht to fix you are liable" response.

How about how many people are killed each year with incidents like this, worse still some village idiots actually think its hilarious when their dog chases a car/motorcycle.

How do I feel.................. I dont feel anything except incredulity.

Tell your Wife she kills millions of other things every day she doesnt see.

[kannot]

Like Thais they seem unaware of what is going on around them. Dogs esp sleep in the road, wander about in front of cars/trucks, just like motorbikes that just join the road without looking right it surprises me that there are not more deaths.

I have been lucky so far, even managed to miss snakes, for those that hit animals it is a difficult time, not to bothered about hitting dogs by and large untrained and a menace, cats are different, I feel more for them, snakes and other reptiles as well, once they are on their way there is no way back.

That is a thing I also don't understand: how can these animals live near roads and not know how to cross safely?

I would expect the smarter ones to live long enough to reproduce and the dumber ones being killed in their first months. And still I see mature roadkill lying around everywhere. Maybe its just chance that some die at a later age.

This is easy to answer............every Thai will do almost anything to drive round a dog in the middle of the road, as such the dog soon learns not to move.

[willyumiii]

SLOW DOWN!

Don't drive like you were born here!

How would you feel if they had been children...human children?

Drive Responsibly....

PLEASE?

[rijb]

I think the smarter animals hide in the potholes.

[richard_smith237]

SLOW DOWN!

Don't drive like you were born here!

How would you feel if they had been children...human children?

Drive Responsibly....

PLEASE?

Please drive responsibly... Agreed...

If a Dog chooses to suddenly run out in front of you and you are doing 40 kmh or 120 kmh there is little you can do about it.

Don't slow down too much otherwise a lorry, pickup or any other of the numerous cars travelling 100 kmh + will plough into the back of you.

I've yet to see a young child playing on or trying to cross the express way or upcountry highway.

[h90]

The Thai dogs are extreme smart when crossing streets. Evolution did already a good job. But there are so many that still sometimes it happens.

[Gecko123]

The Thai dogs are extreme smart when crossing streets. Evolution did already a good job. But there are so many that still sometimes it happens.

Killing/chasing chickens has definitely been bred out of them, but judging from the endless roadside carnage I see, evolution still has its work cut out for it in the dog v traffic department. Sad really.

[h90]

The Thai dogs are extreme smart when crossing streets. Evolution did already a good job. But there are so many that still sometimes it happens.

Killing/chasing chickens has definitely been bred out of them, but judging from the endless roadside carnage I see, evolution still has its work cut out for it in the dog v traffic department. Sad really.

Another 500-1000 years and evolution has it fixed

[DeaconJohn]

Like Thais they seem unaware of what is going on around them. Dogs esp sleep in the road, wander about in front of cars/trucks, just like motorbikes that just join the road without looking right it surprises me that there are not more deaths.

I have been lucky so far, even managed to miss snakes, for those that hit animals it is a difficult time, not to bothered about hitting dogs by and large untrained and a menace, cats are different, I feel more for them, snakes and other reptiles as well, once they are on their way there is no way back.

That is a thing I also don't understand: how can these animals live near roads and not know how to cross safely?

I would expect the smarter ones to live long enough to reproduce and the dumber ones being killed in their first months. And still I see mature roadkill lying around everywhere. Maybe its just chance that some die at a later age.

This is easy to answer............every Thai will do almost anything to drive round a dog in the middle of the road, as such the dog soon learns not to move.

You've nailed it!

[georgemandm]

2 weeks ago I kill a chicken on the way in to town from my village and when I came home chicken not there a dog or a thai would have pick it up to eat not good to waste it on the road

[tubby johnson]

I'd been out drinking with my English friend. Afterwards he drove me home. A large group of dogs was fighting each other in the middle of my soi, and my friend's car went "kaboom kaboom boing bonk boing" as he ploughed over the pack of dogs without batting an eyelid. I looked at him, stupefied, and cracked up laughing while he drove on calmly.

[Thongkorn]

I'd been out drinking with my English friend. Afterwards he drove me home. A large group of dogs was fighting each other in the middle of my soi, and my friend's car went "kaboom kaboom boing bonk boing" as he ploughed over the pack of dogs without batting an eyelid. I looked at him, stupefied, and cracked up laughing while he drove on calmly.

You seem ever so nice people. maybe children playing on the road are next

[konying]

OP, nothing you can do.

These things happen every day.

But, please can you come and start driving up and down my soi?

Too many dogs around........and they don't stop barking and howling

Incorrect . A half decent human beimg can stop and take another living being to a hospital instead of making pointless thread to make himself feel better.

[geronimo]

The Thai dogs are extreme smart when crossing streets. Evolution did already a good job. But there are so many that still sometimes it happens.

Killing/chasing chickens has definitely been bred out of them, but judging from the endless roadside carnage I see, evolution still has its work cut out for it in the dog v traffic department. Sad really.

Another 500-1000 years and evolution has it fixed

It is possible nature will have already "fixed" the human species by then.

[Bob12345]

OP, nothing you can do.

These things happen every day.

But, please can you come and start driving up and down my soi?

Too many dogs around........and they don't stop barking and howling

Incorrect . A half decent human beimg can stop and take another living being to a hospital instead of making pointless thread to make himself feel better.

Sounds like a good plan:

1. stop in the middle of nowhere

2. get a half-death dog in your car

3. drive to an animal clinic (there are thousands of them everywhere, and you can see signs near the highway everywhere pointing to them)

4. get the dog fixed (unlikely as I hit him with 100+ km/h)

5. pay the bill (who cares about spending thousands of baht on a stray dog)

6. take care of the dog for a month or something during recovery

7. and bring it back to where i hit it in the first place

Are you serious?

Have you ever done this yourself in Thailand in the past (you can leave out the BS about what you "would do if it happened")?

[whatawonderfulday]

I'd been out drinking with my English friend. Afterwards he drove me home. A large group of dogs was fighting each other in the middle of my soi, and my friend's car went "kaboom kaboom boing bonk boing" as he ploughed over the pack of dogs without batting an eyelid. I looked at him, stupefied, and cracked up laughing while he drove on calmly.

Sound like your friend is some sort of sociopath that has probable done a lot worst in the past

On the contrary sounds like this person should be paid for getting them of the streets. They are even trying to stop the sale and consumption of dog meat now which means even more dogs. Goodness knows what this country will become with attitudes like that. What next ? stop eating cows, stop eating pigs - oops forgot that has caught on in other countries already. I know start eating more pigeons.

Edited October 30, 2014 by whatawonderfulday

[Bob12345]

(...) this person should be paid for getting them of the streets.

Maybe its time for Thailand to develop that concept a bit further.

Like every dog needs to have an owner who is responsible for it. If the dog runs on the road and gets hit the owner should be liable for the damages (as dogs are not supposed to run on roads). Dogs without an owner should be "removed".

I know it is a concept that will never work here (taking responsibility is not something for Thais, and "removing" dogs is not something for buddhists).

[namdocmai]

Fighting dogs is what i fear the most, they just run onto the road and don't care at all.

While driving from BKK to Samui and back we had a coconut falling from a truck on the hood of the car. A helmet falling from a motorbike and we couldn't avoid it. North of Bangkok we had a bag of charcoal falling from a big truck and couldn't avoid it.

I always tell me wife to stay away from all big trucks but she still has to learn that.

If we lived outside of BKK i would install a bull-bar on the car, roads here are so dangerous that we have to protect ourselfs.

Around our moobaan are several dogs with broken legs, they still like to sleep on the road though with their legs stretched to the traffic.....

[krisb]

If its on the road where it shoudlnt be it will get killed at some point, any owner who wants to run out saying I killed their dog will get a "my car will cost x0000 baht to fix you are liable" response.

How about how many people are killed each year with incidents like this, worse still some village idiots actually think its hilarious when their dog chases a car/motorcycle.

How do I feel.................. I dont feel anything except incredulity.

Tell your Wife she kills millions of other things every day she doesnt see.

I can't think of what millions of things might be?

[Bob12345]

While driving from BKK to Samui and back we had a coconut falling from a truck on the hood of the car. A helmet falling from a motorbike and we couldn't avoid it. North of Bangkok we had a bag of charcoal falling from a big truck and couldn't avoid it.

It seems many people with trucks have no idea how to actually stack things up and secure a load.

Can I assume you (or your insurance) had to pay for the damages in the end in all cases?

[seajae]

The Thai dogs are extreme smart when crossing streets. Evolution did already a good job. But there are so many that still sometimes it happens.

are you trying to have a go at us all, thai dogs will lay in the middle of the road and expect you to drive around them, they have to be the most stupid dogs I have come across. They think they have right of way like most thai drivers but then they say animals are like their owners

[seajae]

when I bought the new car we were driving along nice and slow on the road looking for an address when a chicken came flying across the road in front of me, there was the usual thud and of course a dead chicken, We pulled up about 50 metres up the road at the house we were looking for when the chickens owner came up to us and asked if we had hit a chicken. I went to the car and checked the front of it to make sure there was no damage and said to the owner that it is alright, he doesnt have to pay for any damage to our new car caused by his chicken running across the road. It pretty much stumped him as he was fully expecting us to pay him for the chicken, he had buckleys of that happening.