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Five states where you're most likely to hit a deer this fall

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) on Oct 4th 2010 at 3:30PM

Leaf-peepers are about to hit the road in force – as they always do this time of year. While soaking in the burning foliage colors with your eyes, it's only too easy to forget you're behind the wheel, a situation that can lead to disastrous consequences. There are some states where beautiful foliage and deer prancing on the streets just seem to go together, according to a study by insurance company State Farm. So, if your autumn plans include scoping out the trees, make sure you look out for deer, too.

Here are the five states where you're most likely to wind up with Bambi on the hood of your car if you aren't careful (with the likelihood of doing so):

1. West Virginia: 1 in 42 (I didn't see this one coming!)

2. Iowa: 1 in 67

3. Michigan: 1 in 70

4. South Dakota: 1 in 76

5. Montana: 1 in 82

What's particularly surprising is that none of the states usually considered to be leaf-peeping destinations made the top five, let alone showed high risk of deer collisions. Massachusetts and New Hampshire are low-risk, with New York, Vermont and Maine only showing medium risk. You're more likely to wash venison off your hood in Arkansas than you are in New Jersey, a state where deer corpses are not uncommon on the side of the road.

Interestingly, the number of miles driven by U.S. motorists, according to State Farm, has grown only 2 percent in the past five years ... while the number of deer/car smacks has surged 20 percent. From July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010, there were approximately 2.3 million collisions between deer and vehicles. The average cost for an incident was $3,013.

[Chart via Terms + Conditions: Insurance Industry Blog]

Related:
America's best drive: the Beartooth All-American Road
Ten most badass animals native to the US
7 of the craziest, most dangerous, most dizzying hikes in the world (VIDEOS)
The 10 countries with the world's worst drivers

Filed under: North America, United States, Transportation, News, Travel Security

Reader Comments (Page 2 of 7)

kareem Oct 5th 2010 9:02AM

This is not a suprise. There are not enough natural predators for the deer to keep the populations down....and and people are moving more and more into formerly wooded areas. So there will be more deer incidents - along with bears, coyotes, etc. etc.

Barry Oct 5th 2010 9:18AM

To fix this problem is easy...All that needs to be done is for the Politicians to pass a law that mandates that the deer look both ways before crossing the street and only do it when the way is clear.....Problem solved......or like they did in Florida for turtles...Put in a Tunnel....at the cost of about a million dollars.....

Earl Oct 5th 2010 10:02AM

You know why New York is only listed as medium risk is because the insurance company was used for the statistics of this article, here in New York we just hit deer and move on, why bother having our insurance rates go up when you can drive home and have some one hammer out the dings in your bumper.

Margaret Oct 5th 2010 1:15PM

There are a ton of deer in WV, true; but the people there have also discovered that if you tell the insurance company that you hit a deer and not something that isn't covered by your policy, it will be covered no questions asked. LOTS of accidents are not related to deer at all but are reported as such for this reason. This skews the numbers slightly.

Paul Oct 5th 2010 6:32PM

I moved back to West Virginia after living in heavily populated areas for 30 years (Dallas/Ft Worth, Austin, Charlotte, Raleigh) and my car insurance went skyhigh - primarily from the deer. Shocked me!

Tom Oct 5th 2010 11:16AM

A similar article was published last year. It doesn't appear that much has changed. Was this a necessary publication?

This one is somewhat of a shallow article. It does not provide demographics and event factors (human population density, miles driven, deer population density, rural vs urban, night vs day, speed limits, etc.).

The size of the deer will alter the number and cost of the required repairs. A 70-pound Central Texas deer will not do near the damage to a vehicle as a 300-pound Michigan or Maine deer.
A pick-up truck with a brush guard will avoid many trips to the body shop, while a Prius won't. (Instead of thinking "Green", try thinking "Red" when you and your family are at risk.) [Sorry...., I just couldn't resist that.]

This article is also a bit sloppy and was not properly edited.
The map shows Montana at 1 in 82, but the table lists 1 in 85.

It does not define or explain the rationale for the state ratings. The cutoff between "High" and "Medium"-risk states appears to be about 1 in 115 or 1 in 120.
The "Low" risk appears to start at about 1 in 220.
What is the basis for this somewhat arbitrary rating system?

While "Interestingly" to the writer, the statistics of miles driven and deer encountered are not all that surprising and are hardly worth mentioning in the article (other than to bulk the words in the article and increase the writer's pay).

With the high price of fuel, people are driving fewer miles. Hence...., fewer chances of encountering a deer. Duh????

But..., the price of fuel and greed of the oil companies (more of my soap-boxing) does little to affect the breeding habits of deer.
In a "good" year (lots of food and water), a doe will have twins. So..., 2X the population.
In a "medium" year, she'll have a single fawn.
In a "poor" year, she'll re-absorb the fetus to just stay alive. (Preservation of the species.)
And no..., I am not a biologist or expert. I've just paid attention over many years.

Due to nature's operations and government restrictions on hunting, deer populations have been increasing at a faster rate than human driving.
You do the math!

Also..., people are moving out of the suburbs and into more rural areas where they increase the chances of encountering a deer.

Plus, the distractions of cell phones, messaging, texting, etc., has increased the possibilty of a not-deer sighting and potential collisions.
Perhaps the article author should have compared statistics of all collisions to deer collisions over the past 5 years.

But...., I guess that would not have been so sensationalistic.
Deer are much more interesting than the killing of a mother taking her kids to school.
(Yes..., just more of my soap-boxing!)

Uncle Gus Oct 5th 2010 4:21PM

I had the privilege of living in WV for a lot of years--in the Eastern Panhandle. When you talk about human population density, from my experience I have to assume you're talking about from the neck up. We got more city-slickers out of DC, Baltimore and northern VA that had no idea how to watch for deer while driving. They were usually the same ones that wanted to retire to the mountains and then insist we put in sidewalks and streetlights and paid fire departments and a lot of other things that they had in the city. Of course, with those things came a change of life style and an increase in the crime rate. We all felt those people should have stayed in the city.

john Oct 5th 2010 10:56AM

I've driven in all of these states but the highway with the absolute worst roadkill for deer was h Interstate 10 in Texas. I could not believe the numbers of deer I counted killed alongside the highway or in the raodway itself where they obviously had been hit by big rigs. It must be a migration thing. For this many to be kiled in what looks to be a wide open area had to have been a large herd moving through. Unfortunately people tend to only slow down after a confrontation with deer in which they hit one or come extremely close. In todays cars a hit at only 25 MPH will most probably leave you a foot if it does not put you in the hospital. If it lands on your hood and comes in through the windshield you may go to the morgue.

g Oct 5th 2010 10:36AM

check the statistics for Moose related accidents & deaths in Alaska!!!!!

ZaZapper Oct 5th 2010 10:53AM

This has to be a government report! On the map, it shows Montana with a 1 in 82 chance, yet the text tells us that Montana has a 1 in 85 chance. Sort of throws the whole deal into question doesn't it? Nice work AOL...again!

Steve Oct 5th 2010 11:07AM

My state of Ohio is the only state that is allowed to kill their state animal, the white-tailed deer. With that said, if we didn't, the interstates would be even more disastrous to travel on. Go get them, hunters, and eat well my friends.

brad Oct 5th 2010 12:01PM

What's up with deer? No really though in Texas where my parents live they have hit deer on the highway and insurance did not cover the damage, unless you have the proof, i.e. dead deer to "show" them!

But really I love deer , my folks have a deer feeder, most are scared because people hunt them but they are great creatures and if not timid will eat out of your hand.

Off the subject but funny was watching our cats when I was young try and chase the deer, only to be chased back! Very cute and harmless.

Why people hunt them? Don't understand.

roger nichols Oct 5th 2010 12:32PM

One preventative method that you can use to help prevent hitting a deer is to install those small air whistles on the outside of your vehicle. They make a sound that only the deer can hear. I think these "deer air whistles" are available in most sports hunting stores. The damage from hitting a very large deer with those spiked antlers can be quite devestating, both to the car and to the inside passengers, as the deer might be throw straight through the windshield.
And yes, West Virginia is a most beautiful state, hence the phrase : "ALMOST HEAVEN, WEST VIRGINIA"

manuel Oct 5th 2010 12:28PM

where are my 2 posts why do they want u to post a comment but dont post them. stupid. why did you even write the story

Jeannie Oct 5th 2010 12:36PM

I CANNOT believe that WV being on this list was a "shocker"! EVERYONE I know here in north-central WV has hit at least 1 deer during their driving lifetime, and for most of us, it's more like 3 or 4, plus hundreds of 'near-misses'!
Try driving on Rt. 57, from Philippi (Barbour Co.) to Clarksburg (Harrison Co.) and see how many deer you can count---live ones AND dead ones all over the side of the road! It's almost like driving through an obstacle course on that road, especially at night! I personally have had several cars BADLY messed up because of hitting deer.
And, yes, we also have several deer that walk freely in our backyards at night, here in Philippi! There isn't a night that goes by that we don't see them.

cat Oct 5th 2010 12:32PM

It is not that the number of deers is growing, it that we are taking their space, and they have nowhere to go; the reason why they are killed by cars during the fall is because the stupid hunters are out there chasing them all over the place and they panic.

mike Oct 5th 2010 4:25PM

Are you that stupid on all subjects?

cat Oct 5th 2010 6:50PM

As much as you smart one

cathy Oct 5th 2010 12:54PM

I HAVE DEER IN MY BACKYARD THEY ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND PEACEFUL ANIMALS THAT GOD COULD OF EVER CREATED. IT SADENS MY HEART TO SEE THEM LYING DEAD ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD I LIVE IN PENNSYLVANIA IN THE MTS. AND YOU CAN HERE THE GUN SHOTS WHEN IT COMES TO HUNTING SEASON THERE SHOULD BE A LAW TO PROTECT WILD GAME LIFE GOD DID NOT PUT THESE ANIMALS ON EARTH TO BE KILLED AND SLAUGHTERED. THEY ARE A PART OF NATURE. THE PROBLEM IS NOBODY CARES. ----DO YOU?