For the third year in a row, the number of deer-vehicle collisions in the U.S. had decreased and the downturn is accelerating. State Farm used its claims data to estimate that 1.09 million collisions between vehicles and deer occur in the U. S. between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011. This represents a decrease of 9 percent from 3 years ago and 7 percent during the past year.
Of the states reporting at least 2,000 deer-vehicle collisions per year, Vermont (24 percent), Michigan (23 percent), West Virginia (22 percent) and Connecticut (22 percent), experienced the largest one-year percentage declines. There were 23,000 fewer deer-vehicle altercations in Michigan alone. Michigan is second on the list of states with the highest total number of these collisions (78,304), well behind Pennsylvania (101,299).
States where a driver is most likely to run into a deer:
- West Virginia (1 in 53 chance a driver will hit a deer in the next 12 months)
- Iowa (1 in 77)
- South Dakota (1 in 81)
- Pennsylvania (1 in 86)
- Michigan (1 in 90)
- Montana
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- Wyoming
Drivers in Hawaii are least likely to hit deer, with a 1 in 6,267 chance. November is the heart of deer migration and mating season and therefore the month during which deer-vehicle encounters are most likely. More than 18 percent of mishaps take place during November. Deer-vehicle collisions are three times more likely to occur on a day in November than they are on any day between February 1 and August 31. October is the second most likely month for a crash involving a deer and a vehicle. December is third.
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