Most folks have only seen an opossum after it has been introduced to a car tire at speed. They're slow, ambling creatures that will fall over and play dead if confronted, which for some reason does not work as intended with a 1977 Dodge Ramcharger.
Since opossums cross the road at night, which I assume they do to get to the other side, the headlights blind them and they get scared. Running over one is not a fun experience since they have a stinky musk, almost skunk-like. I avoid them when I can, and I've only hit one in the last five years. Note there are a lot in my neck of the woods.
Despite their scary, grumpy demeanor, I happen to really like opossums. Not because they're cute, although the younger ones have a puffy coat of fur that looks pristine. You can tell a possum is old just by looking at its fur -- all patchy and gross. I like keeping them around on my property because they're beneficial creatures.
Opossums are tick magnets, and I live in tick country. The critters waddle around and the ticks hop on, thinking they just found supper. Possums groom themselves often, and they eagerly pick out the ticks and chow down on the crunchy goodness. A full-grown possum can hoover up 3,000 ticks in a week.
They also eat snakes. I have some black snakes and ring-necked black snakes around here, and I do like them. They eat rodents, which are plentiful. Sometimes an opossum will eat the snake if it's a young one. Both the black snakes and the opossums will kill and eat rattlesnakes, which is why I make sure to keep them both around.
Opossums also eat lizards, mice (which I am grateful for), and sometimes obnoxious birds. They are nature's garbage dumpster, chowing down on dead leftovers whenever they find some.
During the winter, I feed them dry cat food so they don't go hungry and wander off, especially towards the road. I also have an outdoor frost-free hydrant that leaks and gives them a source of clean water to drink.