Witnessed an existential drama play out last night...

[brimic]

Was on my way home last night on a back road around 10PM last night when I saw a skunk crosing the road.
I thought to myself "Hmm, cute little bugger" then swerved slightly to avoid it, I was also concerned about stink getting on the truck and bones/teeth wrecking the tires.
I looked in the rear view mirror and could see it backlit by headlights of a car that was 100 yards behind me. I must have scared/angered the critter because it had its head down and tail up in full spray position.
The next instant I saw the tire from the car behind me roll directly over the Pepe Le Pew.

At the stoplight a few miles down, I rolled down a window and immediately had to roll it back up because the stench was choking, I was hoping that it wasn't on my vehicle but the on the vehicle behind me.

I saw the car behind me pull into the nearest gas station and pull off into a side parking stall and the drive get out to check for damage.

When I got home, I could not find any stink on my vehicle, so the vehicle behind me definately got the full load.

Sometimes the Universe just isn't fair to everyone.

[Scout26]

Way to piss off a skunk and have it nail someone else.  Karma is coming to get you. 

[just Warren]

Driving back from the coast in Oregon one night with a date one night there was chatting going on so I was looking at her and I kept checking my rear view because I had some low-slung go-rod rapidly closing on my little Toyota pick-up. That is I was not watching the road ahead of me so much; then she said "Oh my God" and I turned and there was Bambi crossing right in front of me. I jerked the wheel to the right and avoided fawnsplat by the shortest of hairs on her rear.

A few moments later I look in my rearview and the other car no longer has two headlights shining from it, they slowed way down and pulled off at the next road.


One of my better driving moments.

[Jamisjockey]

Ouch.

Driving a 4x4 often has advantages.  Saw a chunk of tread laying in the road and just drove over it with it centered on the truck.  Well, the chick on the phone in the civic behind me, tailgating so close I couldn't see her headlights?  Yeah she nailed it so hard I saw her pull over to inspect for damage.  Dumb ass.

[Tallpine]

Driving a 4x4 often has advantages. 

Always, except for pulling into gas stations.

[vaskidmark]

A miss is as good as - well, a miss is good.

It's a shame that Pepe had not learned that sudden movements by those big noisy things mean they are trying to avoid him.  It is less of a shame that the driver of the vehicle following you had not learned that sudden changes of direction often signal some as-yet unseen danger in the roadway ahead.  The universe waits to see if the driver has learned anything from this episode.  I retain a healthy dose of skepticism.

stay safe.

[charby]

On the belt way in Saint Louis, mid afternoon light traffic. Wife over packed on the trip again, couldn't see out all the windows because of her stuff packed up in the hatch back. In out lane there was a road gator and I could swerve over to the next lane because I couldn't see out the side rear windows, so I tried my best to drive around it in my lane. Caught the corner of it and it flew up over the car and landed on the windshield of a Mercedes Benz that was tailgating me with dealer stickers on it. The driver slammed on the brakes and headed across 3 lanes of traffic to the shoulder, I could see a huge shattered crack in the windshield. I'm not sure if the person driving it bought it, test driving it or it was being moved to a different lot. Sucks to be them, but they shouldn't of been following so close.

My wife did somewhat learn that you can't block all the rear windows in the car with stuff.

[brimic]

It's a shame that Pepe had not learned that sudden movements by those big noisy things mean they are trying to avoid him.  It is less of a shame that the driver of the vehicle following you had not learned that sudden changes of direction often signal some as-yet unseen danger in the roadway ahead.  The universe waits to see if the driver has learned anything from this episode.  I retain a healthy dose of skepticism.

...or if you get a second chance in life, instead of trying to get angry revenge, get off the road!

The guy/gal in the other car? Their car would have stunk bad if they hit the skunk or not, they were the victim of circumstance.

[Levant]

I had one get under the house once and die there.  I had to get under and haul it out.  Everything in the house, clothes, furniture, anything that could absorb a smell, stunk for weeks.  It would have been a good time to invest in Febreze; I was buying it by the gallon.

[RoadKingLarry]

A couple weeks ago the grand son and I were heading home from the lake. We were cutting across on a county road when a skunk started across the road. I came to a stop with room to spare and we watched 7 skunks cross the road, 2 big ones and 5 smaller ones.

As I drive at night on the job I get to see nocturnal wildlife in action almost every night. On occasion I get to assist Darwin with a little natural selection. Opossums, raccoons, armadillos, a couple of coyotes have all passed under my work van, I've smacked 2 deer with no damage to my van. I had a mirror folded back when I rounded a curve on a dark 2 lane state highway and found a herd of angus cattle on the road.
My boss doesn't understand why I drive so slow at night.

[æg151337]

Can't blame em' for goin straight over the critter. Swerving even to avoid the stench could lead to some other bad *expletive deleted*it. Scary as hell to lose traction.

[freakazoid]

For some reason when I can smell that a skunk has been hit or has sprayed in the area when I'm out driving, it doesn't smell bad at all to me.

[just Warren]

Yep. Few years back on one of our mountain roads an idiot swerved to not hit a squirrel which sent her car over the edge and killed one of her kids.  

[lupinus]

Shortly before my wife and I were married we (pending SWMBO, myself, and future harpy in law) were out and about doing some wedding stuff. I was driving my car with PSWMBP riding with me, future HIL was following in her car.

Bout the same thing happened. I almost clipped a skunk which caused him to release the cloud. Cloud JUST missed my car, and gave future HIL had a straight on perfect head on with the cloud.

[vaskidmark]

On the belt way in Saint Louis, mid afternoon light traffic. Wife over packed on the trip again, couldn't see out all the windows because of her stuff packed up in the hatch back. ....

My wife did somewhat learn that you can't block all the rear windows in the car with stuff.

Better not come out this way.  State Troopers seem to have scented easy game in tourista drivers using the interstates to get somewhere else.  Word is if you do not have extended towing-type mirrors on both sides Smokey better be able to see clean through your window, top to bottom, side to side and front to back.

Reckless driving:

§ 46.2-855. Driving with driver's view obstructed or control impaired.

A person shall be guilty of reckless driving who drives a vehicle when it is so loaded, or when there are in the front seat such number of persons, as to obstruct the view of the driver to the front or sides of the vehicle or to interfere with the driver's control over the driving mechanism of the vehicle.

§ 46.2-852. Reckless driving; general rule.

Irrespective of the maximum speeds permitted by law, any person who drives a vehicle on any highway recklessly or at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person shall be guilty of reckless driving.

Although you might catch a break:

§ 46.2-869. Improper driving; penalty.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this article, upon the trial of any person charged with reckless driving where the degree of culpability is slight, the court in its discretion may find the accused not guilty of reckless driving but guilty of improper driving. However, an attorney for the Commonwealth may reduce a charge of reckless driving to improper driving at any time prior to the court's decision and shall notify the court of such change. Improper driving shall be punishable as a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $500.

If you have enough valium (or better) you might want to let SWMBO take the wheel when she's overpacked.  That, or explain to her why you insist on hauling that trailer behind you.

stay safe.

[Tallpine]

if you do not have extended towing-type mirrors on both sides Smokey better be able to see clean through your window, top to bottom, side to side and front to back

Some decades back, Colorado passed a law making it illegal to put those mural screens in the back window of pickup cabs, so troopers could see the occupants (I suppose, to see the rednecks drinking ...  ).

I immediately built a solid cab-high wood rack on the back of my pickup 

At other times I had a camper on the pickup.

Of course, I had the old fashioned truck type mirrors.

[Pharmacology]

Still remember whomping my first coyote at 5 or 6 years of age.
Dad would put us on his lap and let us operate the wheel when we'd get out into the country by Gardendale.

The yote tried to make it across and dad started to grab the wheel, thinking I was going to jerk the wheel.
Instead, I laughed loudly as we thumped over the poor thing.

Lol.

[Regolith]

I just *narrowly* missed hitting a skunk. I think the damn thing was suicidal. I saw it running out in front of me out of the corner of my eye; it looked like he was trying to cut me off, coming in at an angle so as to make sure to get right ahead of me.

Took me about .5 seconds from seeing it to thinking that I really did NOT want to run the little bastard over. Luckily, I was only going about 30mph or so, so I did an evasive maneuver that damn near put me in the ditch but for a conveniently placed driveway, then floored it as soon as I was clear to make sure I was out of the blast radius. 

Seemed to have worked; I did not smell anything. I do not envy the owner of that driveway, though...