Pedestrians have the right of way in Allston, even if they have beady little eyes and long tails
Wednesday's rat summit (in which city officials met with Allston residents about the rats), didn't come soon enough for one resident, who reports on a recent incident:
... [J]ust the other day when I was driving on my street in the
evening, I actually had to stop to let three of them cross the street in
front of my car. They were just strolling leisurely in front of my eyes. I
had to brake for rat pedestrians! ...
She goes on to explain why she doesn't think lids on garbage cans will be enough to save Allston from the rat invasion.
Not doing her part
If you're worried about rats in your neighborhood, why would you pass up a chance to mow down three of them? I'm assuming here that she isn't expecting officials to round up the vermin in order to relocate them to a retired rat ranch out west somewhere.
umm perhaps because she is a good person??
Your suggestion above is disgusting. Even if you have an issue with a large increase in the rat population in your neighborhood (which who wouldn't really) mowing down 3 defenseless animals in your giant automobile is disgusting and barbaric.
Can't take a joke or get the point
My suggestion was a joke. But if you think killing them instantly with your car is bad, what do think the exterminators are going to do? Sticky traps capture them so they can starve to death. Poisons are slow acting so they can go back to the nest and be eaten by their nest mates so they die too. Snap traps injure them and hold them until they die.
Just because someone else is doing the killing of the defenseless animals doesn't make it any less disgusting or barbaric.
I'm sure she is a good person. And perfectly reasonable in wanting the rats controlled. But braking for vermin is a good way to cause an accident when the idiot behind you is too busy paying attention to their cell phone to notice you've panic stopped to avoid hit something you want dead anyway.
Those were Brighton rats, dammit!
While rats might deserve to be mowed down, that gentlelady lives in Brighton's Cleveland Circle area. Brighton rats have more of a right-to-live than Allston rats.
Rat on a stick shift
Even if you do not see why it is bad to mow down animals you don't like, there are reasons to avoid such collisions.
1. Animal parts and warm portions of cars do not mix
2. Hitting animals can break your car. I had a coworker once who intentionally mowed down a raccoon he could have braked for. Not only did his camaro smell quite nasty for a while (see #1), he had to clean out the road kill by hand to repair a light that broke on impact and the dent around it. Served him right.
Unless you like your rats all up in your grill, refrain from mowing them down with cars.