Posted on 07/23/2015 6:33:33 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
The ducks, even the ducklings, are expendable.
That’s the difficult message from the Minnesota State Patrol in response to a hair-raising video of cars swerving and slamming on the brakes on Interstate 35W to spare a line of ducks waddling across the highway.
“I watched that video and I cringed,” said Patrol spokeswoman Lt. Tiffani Nielson. “People should not stop on the freeway for ducks.”
Nielson knows her advice will not be popular with people who think the motorists did the right thing to avoid the birds.
“It’s definitely a touchy subject … It’s not very kind, but the risk of a crash is high,” Nielson said.
The video, captured by state DOT cameras along I-35W at Hwy. 10 in Mounds View, went viral Wednesday, since it showed a minor miracle of happenstance in which no birds or people were injured.
“I completely understand the connection to a mother duck and her babies, but if there was a crash which resulted in a fatal or serious injury, a driver who stopped for ducks potentially could face a criminal charge,’’ Nielson said.
The patrol advises drivers to keep their eyes on the horizon to avoid debris or animals. But if there isn’t time or space available to swerve, then it becomes “the value of a person versus the value of an animal or wildlife,” said Nielson. “A person getting injured outweighs the value of the ducks.”
“The fact that it happened during a time of high-traffic volume, it was incredible they made it across,” said Carrol Henderson, nongame wildlife program supervisor for the Minnesota DNR. “But I would have to agree with the State Patrol that braking for ducks and swerving in a situation like that places lots of drivers at risk.
(Excerpt) Read more at m.startribune.com ...
This reminds me of a parody from Rush Limbaugh.
“Swerved to miss a baby duck, got run over by a produce truck.
In a Yugo”.
Sung to the tune of “In the ghetto” by Elvis/
Lt. Tiffani Nielson — horrible speciesism on display there, Lt. Who gave you the right to determine if the life of one species is more important than another? DUCK LIVES MATTER!!
It sad when we NEED a directive...to augment the frail nearly non existent sense....that we used to refer to as COMMON
Alternate Headline: Minnesota State Patrol clucks about ducks luck.
I brake for animals. I swerve for animals. Not so much for Dim’s.
paging PETA..
pick up the snail darter gizzard phone...
If you’re driving in northern Minnesota and there is a moose in the road, it is wise to do everything in your power to avoid hitting it.
A duck is one thing but Bullwinkle might be worthy of trying to avoid.
Maybe swerve if possible, but not into oncoming traffic....?
Minnesota is populated by Democrats who drive. If one hits a moose, and his atheistic fanny goes to the Great Nothingness, (And it will.), what loss to civilization?
#DuckLivesMatter
Why are they trying to commit suicide by Toyota? In all seriousness, I would still try my best to avoid hitting any wildlife. The bigger they are, the harder they are on your auto insurance.
I'm not gonna’ run over any living creature if I can help it. And if you rear end me, your insurance company will have a problem.
Learned my lesson on this many years ago, in Drivers Ed. I stopped on a blind hill to avoid hitting a dog. The instructor, also our wrestling coach, punched me in the shoulder and screamed for me to hit the dog rather than get rear ended. He was a strong guy - I never forgot it.
I can only speak for USAA. But they consider hitting a deer and "act of God" and do not raise your rates.
Certain times of year I harvest at least a couple of bunnies every week on my commute. I will take minor steps to avoid them, but that’s it.
I’ve picked a few birds out of my grill as well.
It is not a matter of the deer's life, it is a matter of Bambi coming though your windshield.
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