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Unfortunately, roadkill happens every day across the country. Poor critters just don’t manage to cross the road without falling victim to SUVs, cars, and trucks. However, this funny video suggests that some drivers will go out of their way to strike a snake, tarantula, or turtle. And these lunatics have a type when it comes to vehicles. 

A funny video suggests that SUVs are more likely to swerve to hit turtles, snakes, or tarantulas on the road

Turtle, snake, tarantula, leaf. I know. It sounds like an alternative to the classic Rock, Paper, Scissors methodology for solving silly disputes. No, it’s not a game. It’s an experiment one YouTuber proposed to see how many drivers would actively try to hit a small animal on the side of the road. Don’t worry; no animals were hurt in the making of the video. 

6% of drivers he observed were “cold-blooded rubber animal killers.” The data suggests that 94% of passersby ignored the shoulder-bound animals. However, a small percentage of folks actually went out of their way to run down the simulated critters. 

When he broke down the statistics into the individual animal categories, the arachnid seemed to be the most common target. Of the 6% “killer” population, 3.2% swerved to strike the rubber tarantula. Behind the giant synthetic spider, 1.8% ran over the snake, and 1.0% intentionally hit the turtle. The leaf, an admittedly strange addition to the test, received 0% of the hostilities.

Humorously, SUVs seemed to be the murder weapon of choice for most drivers. 89% of the vehicles swerving to strike the rubber animals drove SUVs. That leaves just 11% of the angry motorists behind the wheel of cars. The data didn’t show motorcycles or any other kind of vehicle. Although the tester likely lumped pickup trucks into the SUVs category. 

Of course, I don’t have to tell you that Americans love their SUVs. These large, lifted vehicles make up around 60% of the new vehicle market in America, per Kelley Blue Book (KBB). Conversely, about 20% of vehicle shoppers opt for cars, and 20% go for pickup trucks and vans. Still, even with the popularity of versatile sports utility vehicles, the Ford F-Series pickup truck remains the most popular nameplate in the country. It makes sense, then, that the majority of vehicle-vs-rubber-animal strikes would be SUVs.

Check out the full Roadkill Experiment video below!

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Staff Writer

Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman joined the MotorBiscuit team as an Autos Writer in 2022. An admitted petrolhead and an avid motorcyclist, Erik has owned everything from classic cars to motorcycles to modern driver’s cars. Erik also has extensive experience with military and emergency vehicles, ranging from ambulances and fire engines to MRAPs and M-ATVs. Erik is an eager car and motorcycle reviewer with experience covering everything from sports cars to pontoon boats and jet skis.

Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations (IRG) from the University of Texas at Austin and has studied Chinese, Energy, and European Politics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Erik’s background is unorthodox; he is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat veteran, water survival practitioner, and a former firefighter/EMT. Additionally, Erik is a regular volunteer and former instructor with the American Red Cross (ARC).