Not all car accidents involve two cars. There are plenty of one car accidents on the roads. There are also plenty of accidents involving cars and animals. You might not plan for an accident with an animal; most of us do not. This does not mean that we should stop paying attention to animals while driving. Let’s talk about deer and how they have begun to impact car insurance. Every factor that can affect your car insurance needs to be examined. Deer and car insurance play a role together and it is important that you begin to know how. This is your car, and your auto insurance, so make sure everything works out perfectly.
The Numbers
There are an estimated 1 and a half million collisions between a deer and an automobile every year. Several hundred people lose their lives, tens of thousands of people are injured and there is more then $1 billion in damages to vehicles. The number of fatalities has risen by 100% over the past 15 years. November is generally considered the most dangerous month, where collisions have been known to triple. This number goes up because it is fall breeding season. Some states, like Michigan, report that as many as 1 in 7 car crashes involves a deer. This does not include many collisions that go unreported every year as well. This is not something that affects every state though. Do you know if you are in a higher risk area?
Your State and Your Insurance
The states that see the most deer/automobile collisions lie in the Midwest part of the country. Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, Indiana, and Wisconsin are all bad states for collisions. Some East Coast states like Virginia and Georgia are bad as well. Areas that have more forest land need to watch out for their protection. Within these states you might find that your car insurance rates are higher. The more risk out there, the more you will find you are charged. There might even be some options for you to get deer coverage on your car insurance. You need to read over this though and make sure you are actually getting something that you can use, not just paying for something that is no different then current car insurance. Injury claims can go well over $10,000 on collisions, so be aware of that.
Deal With the Deer
You need to make sure you increase your safety on the roads. Whenever you are driving through deer crossing zones, be careful and look to avoid these collisions. Deer can bolt into the road at any time, and you might not even see it coming. Deer tend to move in groups, so if you see one be prepared for another. Just before sunrise and during sunset are big times to see deer on the roads. These are also the highest risk times for collisions. If you are going to drive at night make sure that you use your high beam lights in deer populated areas. Do not swerve out of the way, as this can cause much more damage to your car. Of course you do not want to hit the deer, but they are fast and will move. If you swerve too much you can run the risk of hitting something else.
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