State Farm: Fewer Missouri deer reduces crash rates
Missouri drivers are nearly 8 percent less likely to collide with a deer in the next 12 months than they were last year, according to new claims data from the State Farm insurance company.
According to a State Farm news release, the odds that drivers will hit a deer in Missouri in the coming year are 1 out of 124, still higher than the national odds of 1 in 169.
Using its claims data and state-licensed driver counts from the Federal Highway Administration, State Farm calculates the chances of any single American motorist striking a deer over the next 12 months state by state.
The lower odds can be attributed to a decrease in deer numbers, according to Jason Sumners, a resource scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.
"We lost a sizable portion of our deer population because of EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease)," he said. "It began with the severe drought in 2012."
Deer numbers appear to be increasing slightly in southwest Missouri, he said, despite the decrease statewide.
More State Farm deer collision facts:
• Missouri is ranked 18th in the country for the most deer collisions.
• For the eighth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a collision is most likely with 1 in 39 odds. Hawaii rounds out the bottom of the list, also for the eighth year in a row, with 1 in 10,281 odds. Hawaiians are three times more likely to get struck by lightning in their lifetime than they are to hit a deer in the next year.
In 2012, 175 motorists died because 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:
• Always wear your seat belt
• At night, when there is no oncoming traffic, use high beams
• Be particularly cautious between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m., when deer are most active
• Avoid swerving when you see a deer
• Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles
• Bucks are more active during the rutting season, which starts in mid- to late October and peaks in early to mid November. This is when they are more likely to be in roadways.
Methodology:
Using its claims data and state-licensed driver counts from the Federal Highway Administration, State Farm calculates the chances of any single American motorist striking a deer from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The State Farm data is based on comprehensive and collision claims only. Claims involving policyholders with liability insurance coverage only are not included.