Home > Learning Center > Insights > Travel > Wild Animal Collisions

Since we’re in the auto insurance business, we obviously know quite a bit about common auto insurance claims. We're also interested in promoting safe driving.

A very common, yet avoidable auto insurance claim involves collisions with deer and other wildlife. Find out about this type of auto insurance claim, and what you can do to prevent it.

Oh Deer!
Deer are the most common animals involved in collisions. Every year across the U.S., deer-vehicle collisions number in the hundreds of thousands. Given that some experts estimate the national deer population to be 27 million, this isn’t surprising.

On average, a collision with a deer results in an auto insurance claim yielding $2000 in repair costs. Even worse than auto insurance claims involving physical damage to automobiles, people and animals are injured. Annually, around 13,000 motorists are injured from these collisions, with over 100 fatalities. These collisions are also responsible for the deaths of an estimated 350,000 deer every year.

Deer Details
During the day, it's somewhat easier to see deer near roadways. However, deer have natural camouflage that makes detecting them difficult, particularly if you’re traveling at high speeds on a major interstate or a rural highway.

In evening hours, it’s extremely difficult to see deer. Since deer are active in the very early mornings and evenings, drive with extra care. Remember that 90 percent of all accidents involving deer occur between dusk and dawn.

No matter the hour, if you spot a deer while driving, slow down. Chances are, there are more deer in the area, and it’ll be easier to see them at lower speeds.

Though deer are active for much of the year, fall mating season is generally the time of greatest danger for both deer and motorists. Deer accidents peak in most areas in November. In winter and spring months, deer may also be on the move looking for food, particularly in mountain areas.

If you're driving through an area with roads protected by a deer fence, be aware that animals, like people, learn which routes are easier to get to and fro. Consequently, deer often cross roads where deer fences begin and end. Keep an eye out for signs or indications that roadside fencing is no longer in place.

Some companies have manufactured deer whistles to attach to cars. These whistles emit a sound that purportedly only bothers deer. Various safety agencies are currently reviewing the utility of such devices, though it remains to be seen whether such whistles and warning devices serve to deter deer in any way.

From Bambi to Bullwinkle
Though deer make up the majority of animals involved in collisions with vehicles, collisions with moose and other large animals are also on the rise.

However, when a driver hits a moose, injuries to motorists tend to be much more severe, since a moose's body weight is greater than a deer's. Additionally, a motorist's head and neck injuries are also more pronounced due to the fact that a moose's body rests high on its stilt-like legs, causing the moose's full body weight to crash squarely into the windshields of many cars.

As with deer, if you're looking to avoid crashing into a moose or other animal, be particularly cautious during early morning hours (from 4 to 6 a.m.) and evening hours (between 6 to 11 p.m.) When considering crash statistics involving all animals, nighttime is always the most dangerous for both drivers and wildlife.

By slowing down, being alert, and minimizing driving in wildlife-rich areas during peak hours and seasons, you can avoid taking a potentially frightening ride on the wild side, one of the most preventable auto insurance claims around.