What Do the Deer Collision Statistics Tell You?

At the last quarter of 2015, State Farm Insurance, one of the leading Auto Insurer in the country, published their research data on deer collisions. Here’s some interesting statistics that might shock you.

The average US driver has a 1 in 169 chance of colliding with a deer, moose or elk on the roads each year severely enough to need to make an insurance claim. The majority of deer collisions occur during the months of October, November, and December, with a driver’s chance of being involved in an accident with one of those animals doubling during that time of the year.

Who’s on the Top of the List?

West Virginia is the state where more crashes happen. The odds of a driver being involved in a collision and making an insurance claim were 1 in 44 during 2015. This is actually a slight decrease in risk from 2014, where 1 in 39 drivers made claims regarding deer collisions. The “safest” state for deer collisions is Hawaii, where just 1 in 8,765 drivers makes insurance claims each year for deer collisions.

After West Virginia, the next most risky states are Montana, Iowa, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.  While deer hitting are now less likely in West Virginia than they were in 2014, all of the other states in the top 5 have seen an increase in risk. In Pennsylvania, deer-related insurance claims are just 1.4 percent more likely, but in Montana, the risk has increased by 19.1 percent.

Does Hitting a Deer Increase My Insurance Rate? – Read Here

Deer collisions can be very dangerous, not just for the deer, but also for the driver of the vehicle and their passengers. At a minimum, it’s likely that the car will be severely damaged. In 2013 there were 191 deaths as a result of motor vehicles colliding with animals, and deer were the animal that was most often hit.  It’s unclear whether the risk reduction in West Virginia is a coincidence, or down to improved education about known “deer zones” and collision risks in the state.