While the number of miles driven by U.S. motorists over the past five years has increased just 2%, the number of deer-vehicle collisions have grown by 10 times that amount. State Farm estimates 2.3 million collisions between deer and vehicles occurred in the U.S. during the two-year period between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2010. That’s 21.1% more than five years ago. For the fourth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a driver is most likely to collide with a deer. State Farm calculates the chances of a West Virginia driver striking a deer over the next 12 months at 1 in 42. The top 5:
1. West Virginia (1 in 42) | 4. South Dakota (1 in 76) |
2. Iowa (1 in 67) | 5. Montana (1 in 82) |
3. Michigan (1 in 70) |
The state in which deer-vehicle collisions are least likely is still Hawaii (1 in 13,011). According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, deer-vehicle collisions in the U.S. cause about 200 fatalities each year. The average property damage cost was $3,103, up 1.7% from a year ago. The collisions are more frequent during the deer migration and mating season in October, November and December.
