If you remember only ONE thing from this website,
make it this:
Our "Duck-Traffic" Protocol
1) Stop for ducks crossing road.
2) Turn on hazard lights to warn following traffic.
3) Flash headlights to warn approaching traffic.
In the past, people have frequently been surprised not only by ducks in the road, but by other motorists
who have already stopped for ducks. We want to put an end to that surprise and confusion! Adopting an
Official "Duck-Traffic" Protocol, gives us a traffic-safety practice recognized and understood by all motorists near
our ponds and lakes. Safety is improved for both ducks and traffic!
More "Duck Tips" for Traffic
1) During Spring mating season ducks prefer to walk. Unlike other birds, they will not
fly away from approaching traffic.
2) Rainy days (duck weather!) bring ducks out to investigate new sources of food. (In The
Woodlands, they are often in the ditches across the road from their ponds.)
3) When you see ducks crossing, don't blow your horn; that just startles them, prolongs your
wait in traffic and puts them in even greater danger. Once started crossing, they tend to continue in a straight
line (ducks in a row...). So please be patient.
4) Be especially watchful in the hours after dawn and before dusk (typically, rush hour)
as these are particularly active times for ducks.
5) If you see one duck crossing, remember there may be more following: ducklings with their mother
or paired mates.
6) When driving past ponds & lakes, scan both edges of the road for ducks emerging from roadside
ditches.
Tips 1-3 from Gina Hall, "Brake For Ducks" -- Fenwick Island, DE.
Tips 4-6 from The Humane Society of the U.S.
Choosing to Stop...
Driving a vehicle is a series of decisions, judgment calls and risk assessments. When
you see a duck in the road,
it is your responsibility to quickly evaluate all risks and decide: can you
stop safely without creating a greater hazard to other motorists or to yourself?
Here in The Woodlands, most ponds are adjacent to residential neighborhoods where the posted
speed limit is 35mph. Under good road conditions (no rain, dry pavement, broad daylight) a motorist should be able to
stop safely and implement the "Duck-Traffic" protocol above. Remember, ducks move slowly, so between the sign
warning of their presence, and their lack of speed, there should be no "surprise" factor causing a sudden stop or swerve.
We're not recommending that you risk flipping your Porsche to avoid every "indecisive, zig-zagging
squirrel"...but with a warning sign for slow moving ducks, we hope to increase the odds of their survival...and yours!
