Do you think this man's reaction was immoral?

Question

This morning my grandparents were driving me to work on their way to the YMCA. We came to a stop in the middle of the highway when there was only minimal, early-morning traffic. It was adorable - this little family of ducks were crossing the road. Everyone with a functioning brain and a decent set of morals stopped to let them pass. It was so cute because the mom was hurrying her little ducklings along as if she knew she was holding up a big line. But this very stupid couple was driving down the highway, and they had at least 15 metres to see the ducks. No, they didn't hit them, but only because the ducks got across the street fast enough. Wel this guy and his (I'm assuming) girlfriend cut the couple off to forced them to the side of the road. The guy got out of his car and proceeded to really rail on them. I swear, their faces were white by the time he was done with them. I commend him. What do you think of the couple? What do you think of the guy's reaction? What would you have done?

Answer 1

I think it's never safe to stop in the middle of the road. If I have a chance to slow down sufficiently to give the ducks a chance to cross I will, but slamming on the brakes, swerving, and outright stopping is inappropriate, and may even be illegal in some areas, because it potentially poses a danger to other drivers on the road.

Answer 2

Stopping for no apparent reason on a highway is dangerous and reckless, and puts human lives in peril.

To call out someone else as brainless or immoral for not endangering others is overly judgemental on your part.

Driver safety manuals state quite unequivocably that swerving and hard braking (or stopping) for animals is inherently dangerous.

If there was light traffic, a responsible driver would have slowed down and shooed them off the road with vehicle and judicious use of the horn. Stopping isn't a good option.
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And to answer the question, the guy was wrong to have reacted as he did. If someone did that to me, they'd have a tire-iron headache.

Answer 3

I think it's ridiculous to cut someone off for that. First of all, it's dangerous. They need to learn about road rage and driving regulations. Second, it's just some ducks. Maybe the couple didn't see the ducks.

Answer 4

He's got cast iron ones!

I admire his "courage", but as others have said, it's too risky these days to pull someone over and argue with them (here in America). Too many people are idiots with guns out there on the roads.

You must live in the UK, am I correct? The only clue is the thing about the meters. We measure in feet and yards here, of course.

I love ducks and animals- but unless I really had no fear at all of premature death, I would not pull someone over and lecture them about the sanctity of nonhuman life.

Answer 5

Ducks. They're just ducks. The man had no business forcing them off the side of the road regardless of the outcome. I would have shot his sorry ***.

Answer 6

I think the couple should learn to respect nature and not be in such a hurry... Life's to short to act like that. As for the man, Good for him, someone needed to set them straight. It's disgusting how some humans think they are more important than other creatures on this planet. We have hogged all the land as if it only belongs to us, and we forget that wild animals even exist and when we do see them we think of them as a bother... I'm glad the ducks made it accross.

Answer 7

I think it's awesome that somebody gave them a what-for.

However, I would not have...even if they had killed a duck.

With all the guns out there, I'm not going to get shot over a duck.

Sorry.

Answer 8

It's not a question of "morality". It's a question of stupidity on ALL sides. BOTH party's involved in the incident- we're lucky the other one didn't have a shotgun in their car. -Or else it could've been a question of "murder".

Answer 9

Now a days that's a quick way to get stabbed

Answer 10

They're just ducks. Reckless disregard for ducks in not grounds for asault.