Squirrel evasion tactics
Squirrels are doomed to react in the wrong way to cars because their behavior evolved to avoid hawks, owls and such. They dart back and forth until the last second to try and throw off the raptor's strike. You see it in other animals too. It's a lifesaver in the wild, but around vehicles it becomes a Suicide Dance and they get killed by something that wasn't even chasing them.
Also, once they decide to run for it critters tend to flee straight away from pursuit. If a predator's after them, turning lets the pursuer cut the corner and close the distance. It also makes them run ahead of an approaching car rather than turn to the side and get out of the way. Works in the wild, but suicidal around vehicles.
What looks like utterly stupid behavior is very useful in the wild. Gonna take 'em a while to adapt to humans and cars, methinks...
Biting the hand that feeds IT
