It’s uncertain whether deer collision data is more helpful information for the deer or the driver. Typically, the driver gets a second chance after a collision of this nature. The deer, not so much. Still, more than 1,900 fatal accidents have been attributed to drivers hitting animals in the road — most of them deer — over the past decade in the U.S., according to the Insurance Institute for Public Safety.
According to New Jersey Real-Time News, "all animal-related claims nationwide went up 6 percent over a four-year period, the insurance data found, with Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, Wisconsin and North Carolina reporting the highest number of claims last year." The New Jersey newspaper also reported the cost of such collisions,"the average animal crash claim amounted to about $4,000 in 2016. The NICB estimated that amounted to nearly $1.8 billion in claims for drivers across the country in 2016."
If there was a way to send out a press release to U.S. deer populations, the message would be to warn these game animals away from the following states. West Virginia has been the leader for years, followed by Montana, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Wisconsin. Data is based on information provided by State Farm and published by CarInsurance.com.
STATE RANK LIKELIHOOD +/- YEAR OVER YEAR
