Facts + Statistics: Deer vehicle collisions

During deer season, which generally runs from October through December, there is a dramatic increase in the movement of the deer population. Many of these deer find their way onto highways and into suburban neighborhoods. As a result, more deer-vehicle collisions occur in this period than at any other time of year.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety from 1975 to the mid-2000s, there was a general upward trend in deaths from collisions with animals. However, this trend has leveled off in the past few years. There were 202 deaths from collisions with animals in 2020 and these deaths occurred most often during July-September.

According to data from State Farm, U.S. drivers had 1.9 million animal collision insurance claims in the U.S. between July 2021 and June 2022, down 5.5 percent from the same period a year ago. Pennsylvania had the highest estimated number of auto claims (156,176). However, in West Virginia, drivers had the highest likelihood of hitting an animal. While the types of animals involved in collisions are diverse, most animal collisions involve deer (67 percent in the latest period). 

Additional Resources

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Collisions with Animals

How Likely Are You to Have an Animal Collision, State Farm Simple Insights

State Farm auto claims data reveals drivers struck less animals than previous year