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27 ways to avoid hitting animals that may save
your life too!
by Merritt Clifton
The 2015 baby animal season is just beginning. For the next six months young and inexperienced animals will be following their parents into dangerous situations involving roads and traffic. The average driver can save many animal lives by becoming above average in just one respect: recognizing what animals are likely to appear in each place that he or she drives, and correctly anticipating what those animals’ behavior will be when they are startled by an oncoming car.
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Barn swallow babies. (Beth Clifton)
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1) The most important tip of all:
It is easier and safer to anticipate animals in the road than it is to miss them once they are in front of you. Watch for motion in roadside grass and shrubs. Remember that most lines in the woods are vertical. If you see something horizontal, it may be an animal.
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Exposing the Big Game 
I try to avoid hitting animals by driving very little. I tried those devices that supposedly emit noise to warn animals, but most of them are not made very well and do not last. I had one wired into the battery, but that fell apart too. I carry a kit with towels/blankets just in case but fortunately never had to use it. Also carry a book with the numbers of veterinary clinics for emergencies. The only animal I ever had to pick up off a street was a squirrel that was crossing a wire and fell off. She was stunned, but my veterinarian x-rayed her, took care of her for a few days with anti-inflammatories, and I found a squirrel rehab place in the area that took her in. She did fine and stayed with them in the country. I wish all animals who had accidents in the street could be okay.