Responses of Kansas Motorists to Snake Models on a Rural Highway

Abstract

To test if drivers would intentionally hit a snake, a black serpentine-shaped rubber snake or a black hose was placed on the yellow median stripe so that a deliberate response was required to hit the object. The rubber snake was hit more frequently and in shorter time than the hose. When a rubber snake painted bright blue was placed on the median stripe, it proved nearly as attractive a target as the black snake and a much more attractive target than the rubber hose. The rubber hose was also hit sooner when placed in the middle of the driving lane compared with on the median yellow stripe. More truck drivers than non-truck drivers hit the snake when it was on the median stripe. A survey of attitude of 364 college students toward hitting an animal crossing a road showed that both males and females chose to deliberately hit a snake more often than any other animal. These results show that certain drivers deliberately hit snakes and that this behavior is relatively widespread. Large numbers of wildlife are killed on highways daily (Adams and Geis, 1981). Sometimes drivers travel too fast to respond safely to an animal on the road or the animals themselves behave erratically, making it impossible to avoid them. However, certain drivers may deliberately hit an animal. This study examines that possibility, by recording whether drivers ran over a rubber snake more often than a control object. Snakes were the most likely group of animals to evoke a hitting response, given the general public's fear and dislike for them (Morris and Morris, 1965; Steinhart, 1984; Wilson, 1984).