I really, really want to repeat this test with something furry. Anybody know of an affordable toy mammal that might withstand getting hit by an SUV repeatedly?
I once hit some sort of large bird on the highway when it flew directly into my lane from a cluster of bushes off the shoulder. It was so close to me when it entered my lane that all that registered was “white, flying.” There was no way I could have avoided hitting it, but I had to pull off the road to bawl over it for a few minutes. I don’t expect people to react the same way I did, but I definitely expect them to not intentionally kill roadside wildlife.
EDIT: It would also be a great idea to run a test with a fake cat. People have all sorts of reasons for discounting the suffering of animals, but it would be very, very difficult to justify killing something that is somewhat likely to be someone’s beloved pet. It would also be more visible than a tarantula, snake, or turtle, which might prevent the number of hits from being deflated as the result of a certain percentage of drivers not seeing the dummy at all.
As with the original experiment, the “cat” would be far enough onto the shoulder that it would only be hit if the driver intentionally swerved off of the road. For safety reasons (and to reduce confounds), I’d set it up on a straightaway with wide lanes.
Frankly, if someone is going to regret making the decision to deliberately harm an animal, I’d rather they have their change of heart after “killing” a dummy and not the real thing.
I really, really want to repeat this test with something furry. Anybody know of an affordable toy mammal that might withstand getting hit by an SUV repeatedly?
I once hit some sort of large bird on the highway when it flew directly into my lane from a cluster of bushes off the shoulder. It was so close to me when it entered my lane that all that registered was “white, flying.” There was no way I could have avoided hitting it, but I had to pull off the road to bawl over it for a few minutes. I don’t expect people to react the same way I did, but I definitely expect them to not intentionally kill roadside wildlife.
EDIT: It would also be a great idea to run a test with a fake cat. People have all sorts of reasons for discounting the suffering of animals, but it would be very, very difficult to justify killing something that is somewhat likely to be someone’s beloved pet. It would also be more visible than a tarantula, snake, or turtle, which might prevent the number of hits from being deflated as the result of a certain percentage of drivers not seeing the dummy at all.
Leaving people to believe they just killed a cat, maybe to regret it later, isn’t being kind to the people.
As with the original experiment, the “cat” would be far enough onto the shoulder that it would only be hit if the driver intentionally swerved off of the road. For safety reasons (and to reduce confounds), I’d set it up on a straightaway with wide lanes.
Frankly, if someone is going to regret making the decision to deliberately harm an animal, I’d rather they have their change of heart after “killing” a dummy and not the real thing.