• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

State Farm: Deer-Related Car Crashes Up 21%

pirate_girl

legendary ⚓
GOLD Site Supporter
When it comes to the likelihood of striking a deer with your car, West Virginia motorists once again find themselves atop an unfortunate list.

Drivers licensed in West Virginia have a 1-in-42 chance of striking a deer within the next 12 months, according to an annual analysis conducted by State Farm. That's slightly better than the 1-in-39 chance listed for that state a year ago, but still marks West Virginia's fourth straight year at number one.

In an odd twist, State Farm's analysis revealed that while U.S. motorists drove only 2% more miles over a preceding five-year period, the number of deer vehicle collisions jumped 21.1%.

"Common sense tells you there are either more deer in the roadways, or we're not doing as good a job as we used to do avoiding the deer in the roadways," State Farm spokesman Dick Luedke said. "It may be a combination of both. I wouldn't presume to think we know for sure."

Luedke said State Farm's goal is to increase awareness of the issue as days shorten and deer become more active in mating season. The Bloomington, Ill.-based mutual insurer factored its own deer-collision data against market share and driver license statistics before extrapolating the likelihood data.

Pennsylvania had the largest number of projected deer vehicle collisions for the next 12 months at 102,165. Yet based on the Keystone State's number of licensed drivers, motorists have a 1-in-84 chance of striking a deer in the next 12 months. Pennsylvania ranked sixth behind West Virginia, Iowa, Michigan, South Dakota and Montana.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there were 182 fatalities that resulted from animal-related collisions in 2009, down 13% from 2008. Institute spokesperson Russ Rader said those collisions don't specify the type of animal, but past research indicates that most of those fatalities are deer-related.

The average property damage cost of deer-related accidents was $3,103, up 1.7% from a year ago, according to State Farm.

Last year, the Insurance Information Institute placed the annual costs for deer-related collisions at $4.6 billion. That included $3.6 billion for vehicle-related damage and $1 billion for medical payments and out-of-pocket costs for vehicle owners.

Fremont Michigan InsuraCorp issued a warning similar to State Farm's recently, noting deer-related wrecks in Michigan increased 6% last year. The company said on average, a deer-car crash occurs every six minutes in the state. That's the result of 60,000 annual incidents that cause $130 million in damage, 1,700 injuries and nine fatalities.

deer.jpg
http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=228963&type=newswires
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
I have to pay an increased rate for my vehicles registered in Pa. because of the high incidence of deer collisions. That is the trade off for no emissions inspection up here. I have hit 2 small fawns in 6 years of living here but some folks hit several per year. The bear is my biggest worry as they totally tear a vehicle up if you hit one. I know most spots where the deer cross locally but even knowing that you have to dodge a lot of them. That is one reason the insurance lobby is always pushing on the game commission to issue more doe permits.
 

tommu56

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I have to pay an increased rate for my vehicles registered in Pa. because of the high incidence of deer collisions. That is the trade off for no emissions inspection up here. I have hit 2 small fawns in 6 years of living here but some folks hit several per year. The bear is my biggest worry as they totally tear a vehicle up if you hit one. I know most spots where the deer cross locally but even knowing that you have to dodge a lot of them. That is one reason the insurance lobby is always pushing on the game commission to issue more doe permits.

All the more reasoning to open Sunday hunting !!!

We will see how bear season go this year on sat!
I'm thinking there will be more hunters and better economy.

tom
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
When it comes to the likelihood of striking a deer with your car, West Virginia motorists once again find themselves atop an unfortunate list.

Drivers licensed in West Virginia have a 1-in-42 chance of striking a deer within the next 12 months, according to an annual analysis conducted by State Farm.
Ummm, this is WV. They aim for the deer. Free meat. Their likelihood of hitting a dear would also decrease if they weren't driving through the fields on Friday and Saturday nights. :whistling:
 

Rusty Shackleford

Automotive M.D.
SUPER Site Supporter
wow. i would have thought PA to be higher. eitherway, if i hit a deer, i have tiedowns in the trunk, and a mostly empty freezer at home :brows:
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
I hit one with my mustang the first trip I took to my son's house in North Carolina. I hit it 20 miles short of the South Carolina, North Carolina border in broad day light. Big buck tried to jump over my car instead stuck is front legs through my fender then was thrown over the semi I was passing. Pretty much took out the drivers side of the car. Though we finished the trip as the car was still drivable I was going to total the car when I got back to Florida till I saw the price of new cars. At any rate it became the basis for what I have now that I named the Deer Slayer. I still have the car too and still runs good tough due for another paint job soon. I still haven't seen the deer I hit but the cop asked if I wanted it, go figure.
 

k-dog

Member
Out if front of my house is known as deer alley. It is nothing to see 30 deer in the neighbor's field by the road and with no lightling it makes it tough at night. In one year, I hit a deer with my truck (no damage to truck as I caught his head on the bumper, but killed deer), I hit one with my car (caught his legs as he jumped from a bank. tore up hood on car and killed deer), a deer ran into the side of my wife's Explorer (caved in door and killed deer), dad hit deer but no damage to car and deer ran away, my brother hit deer with his car and did major damage to car and killed deer. All of this happened on the road I lived on. Funny thing is there is no specific place where they cross the road. It is all along the road that goes past our house.

Deer are so bad that my dog kills some when they get in the yard. He has a taste for deer meat!!!
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
Out if front of my house is known as deer alley. It is nothing to see 30 deer in the neighbor's field by the road and with no lightling it makes it tough at night. In one year, I hit a deer with my truck (no damage to truck as I caught his head on the bumper, but killed deer), I hit one with my car (caught his legs as he jumped from a bank. tore up hood on car and killed deer), a deer ran into the side of my wife's Explorer (caved in door and killed deer), dad hit deer but no damage to car and deer ran away, my brother hit deer with his car and did major damage to car and killed deer. All of this happened on the road I lived on. Funny thing is there is no specific place where they cross the road. It is all along the road that goes past our house.

Deer are so bad that my dog kills some when they get in the yard. He has a taste for deer meat!!!

You must have a huge dog. I have 2 German Shepherd Dogs on patrol at all times and they used to love to chase deer; that is until this last spring. A moderate sized doe dang near killed both of them when they charged her and she had 2 young ones behind her. She head butted Dargo and pretty well knocked him out cold. In that same moment, Bruno got a good bite on her neck and she dang near stomped him to death.

I saw it from my office window and ran outside as fast as I could and fired two shots into the ground to chase her off before she went in for the kill. Neither dog has any interest in chasing deer anymore. Now that cocky Great Blue Heron, that's a different story. He charged Dargo and didn't come out too well. Dar pretty well ate all of him except his head, feathers and feet. :smile:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Snowball Puff, all 6 pounds of him, loves to bark at the deer that transit our property.

As for deer/car collisions, I've not seen any yet this year. I did see a dead deer on the edge of my corn field, I'm guessing some coyotes took that one down? Lots of car/raccoon collisions this year, the raccoons seem to be getting the worst of those collisions. Give it another months and I'll bet we start to see a lot more dead deer on the roadways.
 
D

darroll

Guest
Do those plastic noise makers that you put on your fender... work?
We can't hear them but the animals can..
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
Do those plastic noise makers that you put on your fender... work?
We can't hear them but the animals can..

I'm not sure Darroll but I have them on my cars now. I've seen deer on the side of the road just pick up their heads and look. I've seen the same with cattle but dogs it attracts for some reason. My dog hears our cars from 2 blocks away and is bouncing. There might be something to it though as I sure haven't had one run in front of me since putting them behind the grilles.
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
Do those plastic noise makers that you put on your fender... work?
We can't hear them but the animals can..

There has been numerous studies done that prove they are nothing more than decoration for your car. They have zero effect on preventing deer from hitting your car. If you want a pair cheap, just visit your local salvage yard and they probably have a car or two creamed by a deer with those things on the front of the car.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
There has been numerous studies done that prove they are nothing more than decoration for your car. They have zero effect on preventing deer from hitting your car. If you want a pair cheap, just visit your local salvage yard and they probably have a car or two creamed by a deer with those things on the front of the car.


Exactlly , They aint nothing but a rip off , sadlly we have spent millions of taxpayer dollars on city , county , highway patrol & numerous other government vehicles before the studys were done , Go figure :hammer:
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1677/eb1677.html

http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/021118/02111812.htm
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
Exactlly , They aint nothing but a rip off , sadlly we have spent millions of taxpayer dollars on city , county , highway patrol & numerous other government vehicles before the studys were done , Go figure :hammer:
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1677/eb1677.html

http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/021118/02111812.htm

Yeah, just for the heck of it, I thought I'd post a little factual info:

"Scientific studies of these devices have indicated that they do not in fact reduce collisions.

Researchers with the Georgia Game and Fish Department and University of Wisconsin–Madison have pointed out several reasons why these devices do not (and probably could not) work as advertised:

* Some deer whistles do not emit any ultrasonic sound under the advertised operating conditions [typically when the vehicle exceeds 30 mph].
* Ultrasonic sound does not carry very well. It does not travel a long enough distance to provide adequate warning, and also is stopped by virtually any intervening object, so any curves in a road will block the sound.
* We know little about the auditory limits of deer, but what we do know indicates that deer hear approximately the same frequencies as humans, and thus if we can't hear it, they probably can't either.
* If deer could hear ultrasound, we do not know that it would alarm them or induce a flight response. Certainly if they heard it on a regular basis, they would get used to the sound and not react to it.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I think that they should pass a law that requires the deer to cross at deer crossings.
 

Av8r3400

Gone Flyin'
On the deer horns, I have heard people say that say that while they may not chase the deer off, but they do make the deer look toward the car, thus making the deer visible in the dark (due to their eye reflectivity).

I've hit three deer and a 400# bear over my 24 year driving career in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
On the deer horns, I have heard people say that say that while they may not chase the deer off, but they do make the deer look toward the car, thus making the deer visible in the dark (due to their eye reflectivity).

I've hit three deer and a 400# bear over my 24 year driving career in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

I'd venture to say that is any deer looking is not due to any "deer horns" on a vehicle. I live in a state with a very high deer population, particularly in my part of the state. I typically drive 30k to 40k miles a year and have never hit a deer and I've never had the "deer horns" or "deer whistles" on any vehicle.

* Some deer whistles do not emit any ultrasonic sound under the advertised operating conditions [typically when the vehicle exceeds 30 mph].

* We know little about the auditory limits of deer, but what we do know indicates that deer hear approximately the same frequencies as humans, and thus if we can't hear it, they probably can't either.

Here is how a Hoosier calls in a deer incident Deer accident call


In case you need visuals [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x05EeeN6pBM"]911 deer call[/ame]
 

k-dog

Member
You must have a huge dog. I have 2 German Shepherd Dogs on patrol at all times and they used to love to chase deer; that is until this last spring. A moderate sized doe dang near killed both of them when they charged her and she had 2 young ones behind her. She head butted Dargo and pretty well knocked him out cold. In that same moment, Bruno got a good bite on her neck and she dang near stomped him to death.

I saw it from my office window and ran outside as fast as I could and fired two shots into the ground to chase her off before she went in for the kill. Neither dog has any interest in chasing deer anymore. Now that cocky Great Blue Heron, that's a different story. He charged Dargo and didn't come out too well. Dar pretty well ate all of him except his head, feathers and feet. :smile:

He is not a huge dog, I was told he is a German Shepherd and Lab mix but he looks German Shepherd to me. He is only about 90 pounds My yard is fenced in and my daughter and niece were walking out on the back paths and two deer jumped the fence. Shadow was with the girls as he is very protective of kids. One of the deer was full size and the other one was a little smaller. When Shadow took off after them the larger one jumped the fence but the smaller once couldn't get to the fence in time. The next thing I know the girls are screaming. By the time I got out there he had the deer by the throat. Just a couple weeks ago, I found another deer skeleton I'm guessing he took down. He kills groundhogs, rabbits, racoons, and anything else invading his space. he has a knack for sneaking up on things and seems to take them by surprise. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it. I think it is because of the kids and he wants to protect them, but anytime he has chased any deer, none of them have tried to turn on him but just wanted to get away and jump the fence

As far as the deer whistles, I think they work to a point. I have a set on my truck and I think that is what saved it from damage as the deer was trying to get stopped and had ducked it's head down when I smacked it with the bumper.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
I'd venture to say that is any deer looking is not due to any "deer horns" on a vehicle. I live in a state with a very high deer population, particularly in my part of the state. I typically drive 30k to 40k miles a year and have never hit a deer and I've never had the "deer horns" or "deer whistles" on any vehicle.

* Some deer whistles do not emit any ultrasonic sound under the advertised operating conditions [typically when the vehicle exceeds 30 mph].

* We know little about the auditory limits of deer, but what we do know indicates that deer hear approximately the same frequencies as humans, and thus if we can't hear it, they probably can't either.

Here is how a Hoosier calls in a deer incident Deer accident call


In case you need visuals 911 deer call


:yum::yum: Good one Dargo .


I,ll just add from my personal experience in the collision repair buisness , of the wrecks that I had fixed over the years where the customer claimed the damage came from hitting or being ran into by a deer 75% had the deer whistles on the vehicles & I was asked to not put them back on because they seemed to attract deer more then deter them . :whistling:

On a side note I had to replace a whole front end on an old perterbuilt truck that had over 100 deer whistles on the front bumper & across the top off the hood :w00t2: As most probablly know truckers beleive in the more the better , it was also lit up like a christmas tree :biggrin:
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I apologize for not knowing. I know they're not very aerodynamic but who would have thought a Western or Meyer whistled when you get above 30 MPH.
 
D

darroll

Guest
I know deer don't like truck horns.
I swerved to miss a doe. She slid under my pickup. I got out and pulled her out from under my truck (she was unhurt).
I rolled down the window yelling dumb broad and blew the horn.
She charged again and I had to pull her out from under my truck.. again..
 
Top