i'd also rather swerve and avoid an animal even if it meant me getting injured. but i also would rather injure myself than mess up my car. i just don't think very much of myself i guess. ;-[
i guess it's weird for me ... i try to avoid hurting animals whenever possible but i feel i'm more important than any other animal including all humans. so there's a point where i wouldn't care anymore.
yeah they will also kill you if they go through the windshield. better for everyone if you swerve.
but a cat or a squirrel or something, i just pray nobody else is on the road by me because i'm not totally sure i can control the instant reaction i'm going to have.
yeah that's another thing you have to account for. like who knows what the fuck you'll do when you see a dog in the road. i don't think anyone can accurately predict that they'll not swerve.