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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 4 of 7)

connie Nov 5th 2010 11:33PM

Pennsylvania is 1 in 85 - Montana 1 in 82. need a new proofreader!

Alaska Oct 5th 2010 4:40PM

I would have thought that, despite it's very low population, Alaska would be in the Top 5.

Art Fold Oct 5th 2010 5:14PM

Maybe if the stupid deer would just cross the roads where the "deer crossing" signs are instead of taking a risk elsewhere everything would be fine. Tell Walt Disney to tell Bambi to tell the rest of the wood-rats how to cross the roads. (I do hope nobody thinks I am serious)

iviethodaurum Oct 5th 2010 5:32PM

Im in Georgia and I had a new beetle and I hit one so hard that I was able to stop the car,open the door and get out and it was still sliding down the road,it jumped up and ran off MISSING A BACK LEG..YIKES....the next year I had sold the beetle and got a Benz,I never saw the deer,I just hit it at 55 mph on a highway.3500 dollars damage to both cars,thats 1 one year and 1 the next.State Farm canceled my insurance after insuring with them MY WHOLE LIFE and thats 33 different cars with them at that point.I even had a porsche when I was 18 and paid 102 dollars a month for that insurance in 1983.....couldnt believe they canceled my insurance.SAW 7 deer standing in my driveway yesterday morning,they are everywhere.

iviethodaurum Oct 5th 2010 5:43PM

Had a buddy about 4 years ago that hit a deer on a harley screaming eagle electraglide.He was running about 50 mph when he hit it.He told me it was a full moon night and he was in the middle of NO PLACE and he saw it standing in the moonlight way up in a field.He said the thing ran as hard as it could with its ear back and it jump a barbed wire fence and he hit it square with the harley.He went down and slid down the road but the bike had crash bars.The only way you could tell that harley hit the deer was it had a TINY little bend on the tip of the front fending and on the bottom of the left hard bag it had a scrape and you had to bend over and look up under the hard bag to see it.Had I hit that on my sport bike Id be dead and they'd be picking plastic out of the trees for a month to gather up all the pieces.My bud lost the skin on his arm from his wrist to his elbow,nasty road rash.The deer ran off.I think they just try to kill themselves.

richardhead4u6 Oct 5th 2010 6:23PM

During the rut when the bucks are actively chasing does they get careless and can run right into the side of your truck. If you kill one don't waste it. Carry a clean hacksaw with you, cut it up, stop at Walmart buy a cooler and put that bad boy on ice!

rlau290541 Oct 5th 2010 6:30PM

In new jersey, you also have a 1/25 chance of being run over by a corrupt politican running to take a bribe... but that's dropped from a 1/2 chance since Crhistie's taken over as Governor.

Mary Oct 5th 2010 8:37PM

I live in NY, I can't believe were not on the top 5, I see more dead deer, sometimes 10 or 15 a day. Maybe thats not enough, I don't know.

boodanl Oct 9th 2010 2:15PM

obviously whoever made this article has never been to idaho. we drive down the road at nigt and there's herd of deer and elk just grazing on the road it's so annoying

Kathy Oct 5th 2010 9:34PM

I live in Western Iowa. We don't have to pick up our windfall apples from under the trees because the deer come every night and eat them all!

Barbara Ward Oct 5th 2010 8:48PM

I live in Michigan, and I'm a mail carrier on a rural route. There are always dead deer along the roadsides. I've had many close calls, a couple of hits, and once a fawn ran out of a cornfield at full gallop, smack into the car, no way I could have avoided him. My brother in law was nearly killed by a buck that hit head-on and came through the windshield onto the front seat, antlers first. The deer population in the lower peninsula of Michigan is way too high.

JEB BUCKINGHAM Oct 5th 2010 8:52PM

I almost hit a herd of elk one night, crossing the Cascades on Hwy 12 White Pass in central Washington state. They are WORSE than deer. They're like buildings with feet!

Gina Oct 5th 2010 8:53PM

Being in the Detroit area you wouldn't think there would be so many deer around here but we're loaded! They are always in my back yard sleeping or grazing! One night I went to let the dog outside and saw a bunch of eyes glowing in the dark. I turned a flashlight on and it was about 6 deer just staring at me. I love them but they are getting WAY too close for comfort! I don't want one crashing through our windows! (Yes, they've been known to do that). My husband was driving on the freeway and one came out of no where and hit the side of his truck. It caused quite a bit of damage too. The poor thing got up and kept running.

tom Oct 5th 2010 8:59PM

Interesting- why in the hell aren't the insurance companies more interested in stopping bambi?

B.A. G. Oct 5th 2010 8:59PM

I live in Ohio county W.V. and have had 3 Deer collisions since 1974. Fortunately all at low speeds. All in the early evening dusk period. I Believe !!

gg Oct 5th 2010 9:03PM

Two years ago, I totalled a car hitting a deer on I-64 at twilight near Lewisburg, WV. The State Police were very helpful, but acted like they'd seen it all before... a lot. On the way to the hotel, the tow truck driver told me horror stories about deer coming thru windshields and still being alive and kicking the driver.

I was lucky to just lose a car.