I was going to drop my kid off at school when a dog ran between two cars and my back tire ran over a portion of the dog. I slowed down and stopped not knowing what to do and watched the dog hop up and hobble away into an adjoining back yard. What seemed to be the owner followed the dog into the back yard. I immediately pulled over but had to roll up my windows as my dog was riding along. I waited a few houses away not really knowing how to react and asking my kid what she thought I should do. When the dog quickly wandered off she wasn’t sure how I should act either.
What do I do? My initial hesitancy is tied to the dog quickly walking away into what looked like it’s home and the owner slowly following it away. I’m concerned of getting into the middle of a highly emotional situation if the dog needs to go to the vet. If the dog lay lifeless I would have had no issue with getting out and consoling as needed. Is there a difference? I think also am concerned I’ll get told I’m responsible and need to help cover any vet costs.
At 20mph, if something sprints into the SIDE of your car and under you back wheel, you’re not going to stop in time.
You don’t have precognition or superhuman reactions (and even if you did have the reactions of an F1 driver, physics are still going to happen). I applaud your approach to safety but your overconfidence is confusing.
At 20 mph you have time between when the space in front of a car becomes visible and the time your back wheel comes to match that point, to stop the car.
There is a speed at which you can see and respond to the thing that’s trying to dive under your car. That’s the whole model.
You’re watching as new spaces becomes visible as your position with regard to obstacles changes. As soon as you can detect there’s someone unexpected in front of that car, you can stop.
Firstly, you’re either vastly overestimating how good you are at scanning every single gap and new space while also taking in the rest of the traffic, road conditions etc, OR you are the most incredible driver to exist and your brain should be studied by self-driving car companies for their software.
Secondly, and this is the simplest way to show that you’re incorrect:
Average driver reaction time is 0.75 seconds (that’s to see something, and move your foot to the brake pedal and begin to hit it). At 20mph, you’ve travelled 22 feet before you even begin to slow down.
And that’s a generous reaction time. This article puts it at 1.5 seconds for unexpected side-incursions: https://www.visualexpert.com/Resources/reactiontime.html
You’ve now travelled 44 feet before even hitting the brake.
If that gap you’re looking at is behind a tall vehicle and we’re talking about a kid or a dog, you’re along side before seeing the entire gap. Your back wheels are hitting that sprinting dog well before you’ve even touched the brake pedal.
I’m starting to think you’re either making shit up just to argue, or your overconfidence in your own driving is actually making you more dangerous on the road than safe