Deer Collisions In Ohio: Odds Of Hitting Them And Other Animals

CLEVELAND — Deer — especially frisky bucks looking for a mate — and other animals are roaming, flying and scurrying this time of year, creating hazards on roads across the United States. The odds a motorist will hit a deer or other animal are 1 in 116, according to State Farm Insurance.

In Ohio, drivers have a 1 in 102 chance of a collision with an animal. State Farm classifies the Buckeye State has an area of "medium risk." Surrounding states like West Virginia and Pennsylvania were riskier for drivers.

The likelihood of a vehicle-animal collision is based on the insurer’s estimate that U.S. motorists made more than 1.9 million animal collision claims from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019.

The 10 states with the greatest likelihood for an animal-vehicle collision are:

1. West Virginia (1 in 38)
2. Montana (1 in 48)
3. Pennsylvania (1 in 52)
4. South Dakota (1 in 54)
5. Iowa (1 in 55)
6. Wyoming (1 in 56)
7. Wisconsin (1 in 57)
8. Michigan (1 in 60)
9. Mississippi (1 in 61)
10. Minnesota (1 in 64)

For some perspective, State Farm actuaries say Americans have a 1 in 175 chance of being audited by the IRS, a 1 in 215 chance of dating a millionaire, a 1 in 220 chance of writing a New York Times bestseller, a 1 in 250 chance of learning their child is a genius and a 1 in 563 chance of catching a ball at a Major League Baseball game.

Any of those outcomes would be preferable to having your vehicle become one with an animal. State Farm said it expanded its annual analysis of deer-vehicle collisions this year to include other animals including ostriches, owls and more, because they, too, can be dangerous for all involved.

A 2016 study in rural southwest Virginia found that among the 1,837 cases of road kill were 64 different species, including 1,415 mammals, 188 birds, 105 reptiles, 122 domestic animals and seven frogs.

Similar results were found in a 2017 Colorado study. The majority of the 1,242 animals killed in highway collisions near the Rocky Mountain foothills were mule deer, but the death toll also included porcupines, owls, badgers and one weasel.

But deer still are the main hazard in most areas — especially when bucks, the males, are “in rut” and seeking a mate. During this active time for deer, bucks will run in front of your car while chasing a potential mate, or while confronting another buck that has eyes on the same doe.

State Farm says collisions with animals tend to occur most often in the fall.