El Gordo
Well-known member
State Farm's statistics for what they are worth. Also remember to tell them that the deer hit you, not that you hit a deer....or move to Hawaii.
Drivers in West Virginia face a 1 in 57 chance of running into a deer during the next 12 months. Motorists in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Iowa round out the top five states where you’re most likely to hit a deer.
State Farm’s findings, based on the Company’s deer-vehicle collision claims and Federal Highway Administration Vehicle counts, show that the total number of deer collisions in the United States has increased 6.3 percent in the last year.
These collisions are more frequent during deer migration and mating season in the fall. The combination of growing deer populations and the displacement of deer habitat caused by urban sprawl is producing increasingly hazardous conditions for motorists and deer.
“State Farm® has been committed to auto safety for several decades and that's why we want to call attention to potential hazards like this one," said Vice President - Strategic Resources Laurette Stiles. "We believe providing our customers with updated safety information helps prevent adversity."
State Farm policyholders were involved in 205,121 deer-related collisions between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, compared with 192,877 during the 12 months prior to that.
The average property damage cost of these incidents was just under $2,900, up 3 percent from a year ago.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are approximately 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions annually in the United States, causing more than 150 fatalities and $1.1 billion in property damage.
Agent Knows Risk All Too Well
West Virginia Agent Jack Fowler said the state’s wooded and mountainous terrain makes an excellent habitat for deer. This time of year, you can drive a 15-mile stretch of West Virginia highway and see 10 dead deer by the side of the road.
“I probably have, this time of year, four to five of those claims a day,” he said. Body shops get so backed up with collision work that it takes four to five weeks to get a car back. The normal time is less than two weeks.
One time, Fowler hit a deer coming home from the office. The animal jumped off a hillside and onto his vehicle.
“I don’t know what you can do to prevent this type of collision,” he said.
Tips for Avoiding Deer:
Be aware of posted deer crossing signs. These are placed in active deer crossing areas.
Remember that deer are most active between 6 and 9 p.m.
Use high beam headlamps as much as possible at night to illuminate the areas from which deer will enter roadways.
Keep in mind that deer generally travel in herds - if you see one, there is a strong possibility others are nearby.
Do not rely on car-mounted deer whistles. They don't work, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
If a deer collision seems inevitable, attempting to swerve out of the way could cause you to lose control of your vehicle or place you in the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Likelihood of Collision with Deer / State Projected Industry Count Motor Vehicle Registrations / Likelihood of collision with deer
Alabama 23,080 4,544,518 1/197
Alaska 1,066 672,766 1/631
Arizona 2,571 3,971,515 1/1,545
Arkansas 17,557 1,939,533 1/110
California 21,795 32,487,477 1/1,491
Colorado 9,033 1,807,879 1/200
Connecticut 10,000 3,058,553 1/306
Delaware 3,553 736,542 1/207
District of Columbia 372 237,281 1/638
Florida 12,328 15,691,438 1/1,273
Georgia 41,841 8,062,838 1/193
Hawaii 57 947,548 1/16,624
Idaho 3,783 1,374,056 1/363
Illinois 50,711 9,458,252 1/187
Indiana 36,611 4,955,476 1/135
Iowa 31,148 3,397,604 1/109
Kansas 10,119 2,368,115 1/234
Kentucky 17,810 3,427,718 1/192
Louisiana 9,707 3,819,198 1/393
Maine 4,390 1,074,895 1/245
Maryland 26,273 4,321,813 1/164
Massachusetts 5,000 5,420,206 1/1,084
Michigan 96,451 8,247,447 1/86
Minnesota 35,504 4,646,923 1/131
Mississippi 13,197 1,978,111 1/150
Missouri 29,804 4,589,356 1/154
Montana 8,854 1,008,930 1/114
Nebraska 9,350 1,702,790 1/182
Nevada 1,155 1,349,313 1/1,168
New Hampshire 3,009 1,174,380 1/390
New Jersey 28,687 6,261,501 1/218
New Mexico 2,037 1,548,371 1/760
New York 63,686 11,862,504 1/186
North Carolina 42,054 6,148,316 1/146
North Dakota 5,578 695,225 1/125
Ohio 65,006 10,634,083 1/164
Oklahoma 8,595 3,725,279 1/433
Oregon 9,829 2,897,385 1/295
Pennsylvania 98,313 9,863,785 1/100
Rhode Island 1,625 811,610 1/499
South Carolina 20,991 3,339,456 1/159
South Dakota 7,171 853,548 1/119
Tennessee 20,9,5 4,980,010 1/238
Texas 38,765 17,469,547 1/451
Utah 5,373 2,209,833 1/411
Vermont 3,831 507,706 1/133
Virginia 47,681 6,591,497 1/138
Washington 9,971 5,598,446 1/561
West Virginia 23,607 1,351,746 1/57
Wisconsin 47,589 4,725,425 1/99
Wyoming 3,365 646,230 1/192
Drivers in West Virginia face a 1 in 57 chance of running into a deer during the next 12 months. Motorists in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Iowa round out the top five states where you’re most likely to hit a deer.
State Farm’s findings, based on the Company’s deer-vehicle collision claims and Federal Highway Administration Vehicle counts, show that the total number of deer collisions in the United States has increased 6.3 percent in the last year.
These collisions are more frequent during deer migration and mating season in the fall. The combination of growing deer populations and the displacement of deer habitat caused by urban sprawl is producing increasingly hazardous conditions for motorists and deer.
“State Farm® has been committed to auto safety for several decades and that's why we want to call attention to potential hazards like this one," said Vice President - Strategic Resources Laurette Stiles. "We believe providing our customers with updated safety information helps prevent adversity."
State Farm policyholders were involved in 205,121 deer-related collisions between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, compared with 192,877 during the 12 months prior to that.
The average property damage cost of these incidents was just under $2,900, up 3 percent from a year ago.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are approximately 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions annually in the United States, causing more than 150 fatalities and $1.1 billion in property damage.
Agent Knows Risk All Too Well
West Virginia Agent Jack Fowler said the state’s wooded and mountainous terrain makes an excellent habitat for deer. This time of year, you can drive a 15-mile stretch of West Virginia highway and see 10 dead deer by the side of the road.
“I probably have, this time of year, four to five of those claims a day,” he said. Body shops get so backed up with collision work that it takes four to five weeks to get a car back. The normal time is less than two weeks.
One time, Fowler hit a deer coming home from the office. The animal jumped off a hillside and onto his vehicle.
“I don’t know what you can do to prevent this type of collision,” he said.
Tips for Avoiding Deer:
Be aware of posted deer crossing signs. These are placed in active deer crossing areas.
Remember that deer are most active between 6 and 9 p.m.
Use high beam headlamps as much as possible at night to illuminate the areas from which deer will enter roadways.
Keep in mind that deer generally travel in herds - if you see one, there is a strong possibility others are nearby.
Do not rely on car-mounted deer whistles. They don't work, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
If a deer collision seems inevitable, attempting to swerve out of the way could cause you to lose control of your vehicle or place you in the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Likelihood of Collision with Deer / State Projected Industry Count Motor Vehicle Registrations / Likelihood of collision with deer
Alabama 23,080 4,544,518 1/197
Alaska 1,066 672,766 1/631
Arizona 2,571 3,971,515 1/1,545
Arkansas 17,557 1,939,533 1/110
California 21,795 32,487,477 1/1,491
Colorado 9,033 1,807,879 1/200
Connecticut 10,000 3,058,553 1/306
Delaware 3,553 736,542 1/207
District of Columbia 372 237,281 1/638
Florida 12,328 15,691,438 1/1,273
Georgia 41,841 8,062,838 1/193
Hawaii 57 947,548 1/16,624
Idaho 3,783 1,374,056 1/363
Illinois 50,711 9,458,252 1/187
Indiana 36,611 4,955,476 1/135
Iowa 31,148 3,397,604 1/109
Kansas 10,119 2,368,115 1/234
Kentucky 17,810 3,427,718 1/192
Louisiana 9,707 3,819,198 1/393
Maine 4,390 1,074,895 1/245
Maryland 26,273 4,321,813 1/164
Massachusetts 5,000 5,420,206 1/1,084
Michigan 96,451 8,247,447 1/86
Minnesota 35,504 4,646,923 1/131
Mississippi 13,197 1,978,111 1/150
Missouri 29,804 4,589,356 1/154
Montana 8,854 1,008,930 1/114
Nebraska 9,350 1,702,790 1/182
Nevada 1,155 1,349,313 1/1,168
New Hampshire 3,009 1,174,380 1/390
New Jersey 28,687 6,261,501 1/218
New Mexico 2,037 1,548,371 1/760
New York 63,686 11,862,504 1/186
North Carolina 42,054 6,148,316 1/146
North Dakota 5,578 695,225 1/125
Ohio 65,006 10,634,083 1/164
Oklahoma 8,595 3,725,279 1/433
Oregon 9,829 2,897,385 1/295
Pennsylvania 98,313 9,863,785 1/100
Rhode Island 1,625 811,610 1/499
South Carolina 20,991 3,339,456 1/159
South Dakota 7,171 853,548 1/119
Tennessee 20,9,5 4,980,010 1/238
Texas 38,765 17,469,547 1/451
Utah 5,373 2,209,833 1/411
Vermont 3,831 507,706 1/133
Virginia 47,681 6,591,497 1/138
Washington 9,971 5,598,446 1/561
West Virginia 23,607 1,351,746 1/57
Wisconsin 47,589 4,725,425 1/99
Wyoming 3,365 646,230 1/192
