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I had no idea which forum to post this in, but since it happened to me a fourth time yesterday, I just had to see if anyone can corroborate this phenomenon... I will warn you upfront that this is a somewhat absurd scenario, but I'm not trollin' This is real life.
I will phrase it as a male psychology vs. female psychology observation, since this may be the root of it (unless my experience has been atypical), so hoping it fits into this forum.
Sometimes when I am driving, usually on freeways but on surface streets too, I will notice a red smear on the road.
Sometimes, when I have a passenger, I will remark, "Look, blood!" as we drive over it or past it.
If my passenger is male, he will usually say nothing, or maybe say "whoa" or something like that.
If my passenger is female, invariably, she will immediately insist "It is not!!" in a tone of voice suggesting that I am a little sick to have even made such a comment.
My reply is always, "If not blood, what is it then?"
The answer, every single time, is "paint". If I ask "why would a smear of red paint be on the freeway?", the answer, every single time so far, has been "it fell off a truck"
To this, I will then ask, "why does only red paint fall off trucks? Why do we never see yellow paint or blue paint or purple paint smeared on the freeway?" Not to mention (although I've never gotten far enough to say it), there is seldom enough of it to have come from a full paint can, and where would a truck have to be carrying a can of paint for it to spill?
The conversation never gets beyond this point; either she will change the topic, or I will, or we fall into silence...
I'm not suggesting that the blood is always human blood; it probably isn't usually. I figure it is animal blood; some kind of roadkill most of the time. But I am pretty sure those red smears are blood. It ain't paint.
Yesterday, a woman and I went through the same dialog, I even predicted her replies in my head before she replied. By my count, I have had this (admittedly macabre) dialogue four times with four separate people now, without variance.
I acknowledge that my sample size is small. But might women and men respond differently to the sight of blood. with women more likely to attribute it to something else? Are men more apt to take a more morbid view, or do most men assume it is an errant can of paint as well? Has anyone else had this same kind of conversation?
I'm a woman and I've never assumed it is paint. I agree... it's blood, definitely blood. It bothers me a lot to go through areas where there is a lot of roadkill, though.
I find it odd that anyone would think it was paint rather than blood. How much paint could possibly be spilling!? (I did, however spill a can of paint in the trunk of my car and it did leak onto our driveway years ago, so I suppose it does happen. But it was only that one time.)
It probably boils down to denial, right? Most of us don't like to think of innocent little critters getting creamed on the road. I tend to quote from the movie, Slingblade way too often... "Little feller could'a had fun sometime!" when I see road kill. It's a weird coping mechanism.
I've seen the red splashes on the road. I've seen similar marks in white, brown, green, blue as well.
I've seen red ones that sure look to be blood. I've seen paint spilled on the road before in different colors so it's not all that ridiculous for someone to assume it would be red paint with no other evidence (like a body) present. Some of them look A LOT more like paint spilling than roadkill from the pattern.
Whether the subject matter is paint on the asphalt or something else entirely, it is not uncommon to receive a variety of comments from either gender. Many times it's just how people are wired, their viewpoints/opinions or even perhaps their frame of mind at the time.
As a female, I used to question why men would say or do things; then I read the book listed below and it was the key for me in understanding most men. Not sure if such a book exists regarding women; however it sure helps in ensuring more harmonious relationships (personal/business). I believe if I'd had this information years ago it would have smoothed the way for many paths.
Why do you feel the need to remark on "blood," especially if you have a female passenger?
Why wouldn't I? Is it so weird to comment on things you see while driving? I can't imagine why the gender of my passenger would matter, unless she is a princess...
I'm a woman and I've never assumed it is paint. I agree... it's blood, definitely blood. It bothers me a lot to go through areas where there is a lot of roadkill, though.
I find it odd that anyone would think it was paint rather than blood. How much paint could possibly be spilling!? (I did, however spill a can of paint in the trunk of my car and it did leak onto our driveway years ago, so I suppose it does happen. But it was only that one time.)
It probably boils down to denial, right? Most of us don't like to think of innocent little critters getting creamed on the road. I tend to quote from the movie, Slingblade way too often... "Little feller could'a had fun sometime!" when I see road kill. It's a weird coping mechanism.
In the same vein, I watch a lot of true crime shows, and it's funny how when people find a body they always say, "I thought it was a mannequin." Like, sure, you don't expect to find a dead body when you're out walking your dog, but how likely is it to be a random mannequin in the middle of the woods?
I would think that unless the blood were very fresh...maybe on that white toned pavement some roads are made of...it would not look like paint. Paint looks like paint. It is more opaque, brightly colored. It should be obvious. But again, I'm thinking of dark colored pavement... On white pavement, it would look more red, especially if fresh.
I (a woman) have this odd compulsion to try and identify every animal I see dead by the road. I don't know why on earth it would matter, other than this vague interest I have in what indigenous critters live in a given area. I do travel a lot, all over the country, so one region's wildlife isn't the same as another's. As a crafter, I have also contemplated that it's sad I can't stop and take the carcass, put it in some beetles, use the bones, skull, claws, teeth for craft projects. Seems wasteful to just leave the dead beasties there. Then I start worrying about scavengers coming out only to also be hit...
Guess I'm kind of morbid, for a chick?
Trust me, a woman has every reason to know exactly what blood looks like though. There is a line from Game of Thrones about this. Maybe it really IS paint?
Living somewhat rurally I see rod kill all the time; anything from squirrels and opossums to coyotes and deer. It's just a fact of life here. It doesn't take long for crows and turkey vultures to dispose of the remains. I don't give it a second thought, nor do I remark upon it.
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(I did, however spill a can of paint in the trunk of my car and it did leak onto our driveway years ago, so I suppose it does happen. But it was only that one time.) 
