A motorist who was driving home with the kids after school had a narrow miss after having to brake suddenly in order to avoid a herd of deer from getting hit. They were just crossing the road after dusk, and although the kids were excited to see this sight, the motorist was only too relieved for having been able to stop the car in time.
These are the peak months for deer-car collisions and October and November are famous for these collisions. This is due to the fact that fall is the mating season, so these animals are always on the move. Although State Farm claims that the deer-car collisions have actually come down, this is still a problem in many areas. Around 1.09 million collisions have taken place between deer and automobiles according to an annual analysis of the auto insurance claims. These collisions took place between July 2010 and June 30, 2011, but this is down by 7% from the previous year and around 9% when compared to 3 years ago.
Although the deer population in the US has remained really robust, the major insurance companies like State Farm don’t seem to have a valid explanation for the decline in these deer-car collisions. This could then be attributed to a reduction in auto traffic due to a slow economy. It could possibly be the only explanation that makes sense – motorists in the US are traveling much less these days due to the economic crisis, states Dick Luedke, spokesman from State Farm. Since everything else remains the same, the only possible explanation is that if we drive fewer miles the number of deer that gets hit will also be much less.
West Virginia continues to be a state where the odds of a hitting a deer seems to be the highest. According to the estimates by State Farm, the chances of a driver from West Virginia hitting a deer in the next year are at 1 in 53. Iowa comes in second and is followed by South Dakota that comes in third. The state that ranks the lowest in terms of risk is Hawaii. These states are ranked by their deer collision risk.
The average cost of damage due to deer collisions seem to have gone up by over 2% in the last year and that is the bad news. Although the insurance will cover the cost of repairs, you have to pay up a decent deductible. So, follow safe driving practices.
