Odds Of You Hitting A Deer This Fall Have Increased

According to a new survey from State Farm, if you drive in Iowa, your odds of hitting a deer are on the increase.

Iowa drivers are more than 13 percent more likely to collide with a deer than they were last year, according to new claims data from State Farm. The odds drivers will hit a deer in Iowa are 1 in 68, compared to the national odds of 1 in 169.

Using its claims data and state licensed driver counts from the Federal Highway Administration, State Farm, the nation’s leading auto insurer, estimates the state by state chances of any single American motorist striking a deer, elk or moose.

More 2015 State Farm deer collisions facts:

Iowa is ranked third in the country for the most deer collisions. Iowa was ranked fourth in 2014.
The national cost per claim average is $4,135, up 6 percent from 2014 when the average was $3,888.

The months a driver is most likely to collide with a deer in Iowa, mostly due to mating and hunting seasons, are:

November
October

December

For the ninth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a collision is most likely with 1 in 44 odds. Hawaii rounds out the bottom of the list, also for the ninth year in a row, with 1 in 8,765 odds.

“Though Iowa may not have as many deer collisions as West Virginia, these types of collisions still occur and we encourage all drivers to be cautious,” said State Farm Public Affairs Specialist Ann Avery. “It’s important that drivers are practicing safe driving habits and watching out for animals on the road. Wearing your seat belt and practicing defensive driving tactics could make a significant difference.”

Avoid becoming a statistic

Injuries, vehicle damage and fatalities all can result from vehicle collisions with deer. In 2013, 191 deaths were the result of collisions with animals, with deer being the animal most often struck, according to the Insurance Information Institute and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. These tips could help drivers avoid a collision: