Feel free to answer any questions in here or to add your own, and for the sake of this thread, we'll define philosophical loosely. I'm not necessarily looking for high brow stuff. I'll start with this one. In the middle of the day, you are driving down a rural road, on which yours appears to be the only car. The road has one lane going in each direction with deep ditches on both sides of it. At a distance, you see the longest snake you've ever seen stretching across the entire road. You are driving slowly enough that you can easily stop before reaching the snake. Do you stop to allow the snake to cross the road or do you drive over it? If you decided to stop, how long are you willing to wait in the event that the snake decides to sun itself on the roadway?
drive over it. you set there to long you may meet his family. my fear a snakes was greatly enhanced when I was in the Philippines. one night late I was waiting for transport back to my ship when a jeep full of marines came out of the dark and ground to a halt. they jumped out and looked under the back and found a Python had wrapped itself around the axle and stopped it. the jeep plus the weight of the passengers. they very carefully unwrapped it and dragged it to the side of road.
It depends on the snake, at least to some extent. After I was bitten by a copperhead who was having a bad attitude day; I do not have any affection for venomous snakes, and would happily run over the snake. On the other hand, I have actually stopped and helped a hurt garter snake off of the road in the hopes that he would survive if he were not run over. However, after reading @Gary Ridenour 's story about the snake wrapped around the axle of that military Jeep, I think that it is possible that they actually acquired the snake by running over it in the first place, and thus flipping the unsuspecting snake around the axle, and then winding him so tight it stopped the jeep. I would not want to have to unwind a snake from the axle of the car in that kind of a situation, even if the snake had already died, and much less if it was not already dead. So, maybe I would wait for that long snake to get across the road after all. I wonder if a snake will hurry if you holler "SHOO !" really loud and throw a rock or two at it ?
its possible that's how this incident happened. i don't know if anyone knew for sure but I was required to drive this same route at all hours day and night. after this incident I always took a flashlight to the pier and checked underneath to make make certain no unwanted passengers were attached.
I'd drive up to it honk horn and hope the snake would go on quickly and drive on to my destination. I ride the bus now and don't have to worry about such things. I do miss my car especially on rainy days and when I'm buying groceries.
It depends on the kind of snake. I have shot rattlers and have carried king and black snakes out of harms way. If I can't identify, I have to admit that I would kill it. It's my belief take no chances when it comes to snakes.
Running over a snake doesn't always kill it. One day I was trailering two of my horses up the mountain to attend a trail ride. I was pulling my trailer with a GMC duelly, crossing the road was a large thick rattler. I ran over that snake with my truck and with the trailer with over a ton of horses inside. When i looked in my rear view mirror the tires had spun him into a twist but he untwisted himself and crawled off the road seemingly unhurt. A 45 loaded with hollow tips does a much better job.
Well, hopefully, he didn't crawl too far before he gave it up and died from being run over. With that many wheels, especially the wide duallys, you surely must have gotten him with at least some of the tires, unless he just managed to curl up under the middle of the truck and was missed by all of the tires. When I lived in Missouri, we had some of the big copperheads that would come crawling across the road and get hit, and it usually seemed to kill them........ Of course, the only ones we saw were the dead ones, so who knows how many others were hit and simply crawled on across like what happened with you, @Chris Ladewig . Where do you trailride ?
I don't trail ride any more. I had to give up my horses last year for economic reasons. I used to ride the the Angeles National forrest and the Pacific crest trail. I belonged to two different trail clubs and one barrel racing club. I really miss riding it was a life long passion. I hit him my truck and trailer bumped over him.
You are guaranteed ten years of total happiness in your life. The rest will be suffering and sorrow. What will you chose, the first younger years or the last years?
I am an animal lover from way back. I am sure I would wait for the snake to cross the road. My roommate was just telling a story where he straddled a turtle on the road, to avoid hitting it and he looked back and saw a turtle moving faster than he had ever seen one go in his life! I like snakes, and they tend to be very helpful to keep pests at bay. I wouldn't want one in my house..but outside they are fine. Except one time,,,there was one on the patio and was curled around a the upper part of a chair chair....I heard my cat hissing and the snake was sticking out its tongue.. LUckily there was a screen in place. I think my friend took the snake away from the house.