State Farm insurance agency has released its annual list of state deer/car collisions rankings and overall, the American driver is just as likely in 2015 as they were in 2014 to hit a deer, moose, or elk. The study which compounds animal collision claim data from state licensed drivers and the Federal Highway Administration puts the U.S. driver’s 2015 chances at 1 in 169.
Between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015 there were 1.25 million claims and nearly 200 deaths from these collisions. However during the months of October, November and December, U.S. drivers’ chances more than double as breeding season enters its peak.
While your chances of hitting a deer didn’t increase much, the cost of repairing your vehicle certainly did. The national cost per claim saw a 6% increase from 2014. In 2015, motorists who are unlucky enough to hit one of these ungulates will have to fork over on average about $4,135 to repair their vehicle.
While Pennsylvania continues to top the list with more than 126,000 deer/car collisions, because of the amount of licensed drivers in the state, West Virginia still edges the Keystone State as number one with a 1 in 44 likelihood. Pennsylvania ranks 4th in 2015, with a 1 in 70 chance. For the 9th year in a row, Hawaii is the least likely state to hit a deer. A driver there has a 1 in 8,765 chance of a car/deer collision.
Check out the list below to see where your state ranks.
- West Virginia – 1 in 44
- Montana – 1 in 63
- Iowa – 1 in 68
- Pennsylvania – 1 in 70
- South Dakota – 1 in 73
- Wisconsin – 1 in 77
- Minnesota – 1 in 81
- Mississippi – 1 in 88
- South Carolina – 1 in 95
- Virginia – 1 in 97
- Michigan – 1 in 97
- Arkansas – 1 in 101
- Kentucky – 1 in 113
- North Dakota – 1 in 113
- North Carolina – 1 in 115
- Missouri – 1 in 120
- Kansas – 1 in 125
- Georgia – 1 in 128
- Ohio – 1 in 131
- Alabama – 1 in 133
- Maryland – 1 in 134
- Delaware – 1 in 142
- Indiana – 1 in 142
- Nebraska – 1 in 143
Notable deer hunting states that did not make the top 25 list include the following:
- Maine at 27th, with a 1 in 158 chance.
- New York came in at 28th, with a 1 in 159 chance
- Illinois at 1 in 199, ranking in at 33rd
- Texas at 39th, with a 1 in 297 likelihood
Remember to do your part this hunting season, take some extra meat for the freezer and save a possible statistic, car, or even a human life.
