Pa Deer Rut

Odds Of Hitting A Deer Are Highest Right Now: How To Avoid A Collision

ACROSS AMERICA — Deer — including especially frisky bucks competing for mates in what’s called “rut” — are making the nation’s rural roads, and some more isolated stretches of urban highway, more dangerous at this time of year.

State Farm, the largest auto insurer in the country, said industrywide casualty claims data shows odds of hitting a deer are greatest in West Virginia, Montana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Mississippi, South Dakota, Virginia and Missouri, the insurer said.

The odds range from 1 in 38 in West Virginia to 1 in 80 in Missouri. Natiobnally, the odds of a collision with an animal are about 1 in 127

To put that in perspective, the odds of finding out your child is a genius are about twice that, at 1 in 250, and the chances of catching a ball at a Major League Baseball game are more than quadruple that, at 1 in 563, State Farm actuaries have said.

November, October and December, in that order, are the most dangerous time of year for animal collisions. Deer are involved in the largest majority of claims, State Farm said, followed by collisions with rodents, dogs, raccoons and coyotes. Claims for rodent damage includes chewed wiring and other destruction.

State Farm’s analysis was based on claims filed across the industry for the year ended June 30, 2023. The highest number of claims filed was in Pennsylvania, with an estimated 153,397. Michigan was second with 133,636, followed by Texas (96,000), North Carolina (88,770) and Ohio (82,395).

The majority of collisions occur around dusk on roads that don’t have a lot of traffic. State Farm said a survey of its members showed between 30 percent and 50 percent of drivers had collisions with animals under those conditions.

Additionally, one risky driving habit, whether speeding or using a cellphone, increases the chance of an animal collision by 23 percent, State Farm said.

Here are some tips to avoid a collision: