Ky. ranked 22nd for drivers most likely to hit a deer | News

(KFVS) - According to claims data from State Farm, Kentucky is ranked 22nd in the list of states where a driver is most likely to hit a deer.

While Kentucky is ranked 22nd, West Virginia tops the list for the fifth year in a row. Iowa is second, followed by South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wyoming. According to State Farm, the state least likely to have deer-car collisions is Hawaii.

According to the data collected by the insurance company, the number of deer-car collisions in the U.S. has dropped. Using claims data, they estimate 1.09 million collisions between deer and car occurred in the U.S. between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. State Farm says this is 9 percent less than three years ago and 7 percent less than one year ago.

The data shows that a deer-car collision is most likely to happen in November, the heart of deer migration and mating season. October is the second most likely month for a crash, followed by December. State Farm says the average property damage cost of these incidents during the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 was $3,171; which is up 2.2 percent from the year before.

State Farm offers the following tips on how to reduce the odds of a deer-car collision:

• Be aware of posted deer crossing signs. These are placed in active deer crossing areas
• Remember that deer are most active between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
• Use high beam headlamps as much as possible at night to illuminate the areas from which deer will enter roadways
• Keep in mind that deer generally travel in herds. If you see one, there is a strong possibly there will be more
• Do not rely on car-mounted deer whistles
• If a deer collision seem inevitable, trying to swerve out of the way could cause you to lose control of your car or place you in the path of oncoming cars

U.S. map showing likelihood of deer-vehicle collision by state 

Chart listing likelihood of vehicle-deer collision by state

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