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MISSISSIPPI REMAINS A TOP TEN STATE FOR DEER COLLISIONS
New State Farm® data ranks Mississippi 8th Nationally in Deer Collisions
Jackson, MS – (September 14, 2015) — The odds of hitting a deer in the state of Mississippi remain much higher than in most states according to new State Farm claims data. The state ranks 8th nationally in deer collisions with the odds that drivers will hit a deer at 1 out of 88. This is much higher than the national odds of 1 in 169. On the bright side the state ranked 6th nationally last year which shows a nearly 4.5 percent decrease in the chances of a deer/vehicle collision.
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:
Mississippi is ranked 8th in the country for the most deer collisions
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 Mississippi, 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 with1 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.
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:
Use extra caution in known deer zones
Always wear your seatbelt
At night, when there is no oncoming traffic, use high beams
Avoid swerving when you see a deer
Scan the road for deer and other danger signs
Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles
And here are some deer facts that all drivers should know:
Deer are on all roads
Deer are unpredictable
Deer often move in groups
Deer movement is most prevalent in the fall
Dusk to dawn are high risk times
For more safety tips and state-by-state statistics, please click here.
Methodology:
Using its claims data and state licensed driver counts from the Federal Highway Administration, State Farm, the nation’s leading auto insurer, calculates the chances of any single American motorist striking a deer, elk or moose during the time frame of July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data has been projected for the insurance industry as a whole, based on the State Farm personal vehicle market penetration within each state. The State Farm data is based on comprehensive and collision claims only. Claims involving policyholders with liability insurance coverage only are not included.
