Deer Collisions: Tips to Avoid that Accident

The state where drivers are most likely to hit a deer is West Virginia and the chances are only going up. A recent insurance report indicated the odds of motorists in that state hitting a deer in the next 12 months is 1 in 55. The year before the rate of deer-related accidents in West Virginia was 1 in 57.

Rounding out the top five in the deer-accident category were Michigan, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Arkansas. The probability of hitting a deer in Michigan is roughly 1 in 78, 1 in 97 in Pennsylvania, 1 in 105 in Iowa and in Arkansas, 1 in 108. Add South Dakota, Wisconsin, Montana, North Dakota and Virginia and you have the top-ten states.

There are approximately 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions annually in the United States, causing more than $1.1 billion in property damage. State Farm says the total number of deer-vehicle collisions in the United States has increased 14.9 percent from five years ago, and that the cost of repairs for the average deer-accident repair rose to $2,950 last year, up 2.5 percent. Some of these encounters can result in serious bodily injury, even death. Roughly 150 people die each year in deer/vehicle collisions.

You can minimize the chances of injury or property damage by following these simple rules.

Always wear your safety belt.

Don't swerve or go into a ditch to avoid hitting a deer. Instead, brake as much as possible and stay on the road. Stay in control of the vehicle, or you could hit something that may prove more deadly or damaging than a deer.

If you see a deer along the roadway, immediately slow down and honk your horn. If you get by the deer safely and see an oncoming car that probably won't know the deer are there, blink your high beams several times to warn the driver. If you have vehicles approaching from behind you, tapping the brakes several times or using the high-beam method may help them avoid an accident.

Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulders of roads. If anything looks slightly suspicious, slow down.

If you see one deer, there are probably more. They like to move in single file, so when the one you've spotted jumps out of the way, odds are pretty good another's waiting to enter the roadway.

Deer do unpredictable things. Sometimes they stop in the middle of the road when crossing or they cross and quickly re-cross back from where they came. Sometimes they move toward an approaching vehicle. Assume nothing. Slow down, blow your horn to urge the deer to leave the road. Stop if a deer stays on the road; don't try to go around it.

Wildlife authorities also claim that deer can't hear ultrasonic frequencies, so the effectiveness of deer whistles on vehicles is not supported by research.

If an accident does happen, contact a local law enforcement agency immediately and seek medical attention if needed. Turn on your emergency flashers to warn oncoming traffic that there's been an accident and if possible put your vehicle in reverse to park near the deer so the problem is clearly marked.

Visibility is key. Most of the time you can see deer during the daytime, but at night using high-beam headlamps as much as possible will illuminate the areas from which deer enter roadways.

Deer-crossing signs are put along the highway for a reason-the area is known for a high rate of deer-vehicular accidents. When you see one of the warning signs, keep that in mind.

The time of year most likely for accidents varies by location. North Dakota, for example, has its biggest problem from Late October to early December during the mating season and in Pennsylvania in the spring deer like to feast on the green grass along the highway. Regardless of the season, location or time of day, a deer collision can occur anywhere, even in the city.

The state where deer-vehicle collisions are least likely is Hawaii, where the odds are 1 in 10,962.