Editor’s Note: Deer and cars don’t mix

With the California wild fires still raging and causing destruction to property and lives, and tornadoes and floods causing damage in other parts of the country — somehow discussing deer and automobile crashes doesn’t seem critical. But it is critical. Consider that over 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions occur annually in the United States, causing more than 150 fatalities and $1.1 billion in property damage, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Six of the top ten states with the most deer crash incidents are in the Midwest. The list includes: West Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Arkansas, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. So for most states in the Midwest, including Illinois and Indiana who often make the list, deer crashes are a real concern.

2007 statistics

The statistics tell the story. The reality is that 205,121 deer-related collisions took place between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007, according to a recent study of State Farms’ policyholders’ claims. State Farm’s data showed the total number of deer-vehicle collisions across the nation increased 6.3 percent in the past year.

We do know that the average cost to repair vehicles involved in those incidents was about $2,900, up 3 percent from a year earlier, the insurer’s data indicates. Keep in mind that the deer are often killed in these accidents and many times the automobile is listed as a total loss. These collisions become more frequent during the fall and winter due to the deer migration and mating season. This season usually occurs from October through December.

Another perspective

To get an idea of the frequency of the crashes, State Farm’s study suggests that motorists in West Virginia have a 1 in 57 chance of hitting a deer. That is nearly three times more likely than one estimate of the possibility that a person will be audited by the Internal Revenue Service in 2008 and 5,000 times more likely than another approximation of the chance that an individual will be struck by lightning between now and a year from now.

No matter how you look at it, deer-related crashes are serious. Claims come in many forms for the insurance industry and its policyholders — and deer-related crashes can’t be counted out.