Are deer exacting their smirking revenge onhumans? A recent release from State Farm Insurance may have theanswer. According to the nation's largest home and auto insurer,the number of collisions between motorists and the timid mammal hasfar surpassed the actual increase of vehicles on the roadways inthe past five years.

Drawing from its claim data ranging from July 1, 2007 to June30, 2009, State Farm cited 2.4 million accidents involving deer andvehicles in the United States during the last two years. Thattranslates roughly to 100,000 per month, and represents an18.3-percent increase compared to five years earlier. To put itanother way, one of these unfortunate encounters occurs every 26seconds. 

Among the 35 states where at least 7,000 deer-vehicle collisionsoccur each year, New Jersey and Nebraska witnessed the mostsignificant increases (at 54 percent). Kansas trailed New Jerseyand Nebraska in terms of the most notable increases in deer-vehiclecrashes. Kansans saw a 41 percent hike, whereas Florida,Mississippi, and Arkansas reported a 38-percent increase.