Good. Honestly there is no good reason for anyone to hit an animal if you are a well-trained and attentive driver. Negligent or intentionally, it's just one step from killing a person.
look/scan ahead as you always should be. don't text and drive. don't eat and drive. don't shave and drive. look at sidewalks, driveways, and through windshields to see if you can spot a small person behind a car, or even for feet or a cat underneath the car. if you can't see clearly enough to stop in time; go slower. Plenty of ways to know what's coming and avoid hitting it. Nothing will just pop up in front of you if you scan ahead because you should already know what could possibly jump in front of you. This is the best we can do in this case of putting the liabilities of driving on the driver. You have the big heavy vehicle that can kill things- drive like it.
Shit happens. It sucks when it does, but sometimes you just can't avoid it. Something coming out of a bush you can't see behind, or a driver swerving unexpectedly. You can do everything you can to try and prevent it, but that doesn't mean it's guaranteed. If you worry too much about it your attention will be too focused on it and you're more likely to miss something else.
no this whole response thread is full of incompetent dip shits who don't know how to really drive. This exactly what I have to deal with on the daily commute.