New State Farm® data shows odds Missouri drivers will collide with a deer are declining Columbia, MO (September 15, 2014) — Missouri drivers are nearly 8 percent less likely to collide with a deer in the next 12 months than they were last year, according to new claims data from State Farm. The odds drivers will hit a deer in Missouri in the coming year are 1 out of 124, above the national odds of 1 in 169. 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 over the next 12 months state by state. The lower odds can be attributed to a decrease in deer numbers, according to Jason Sumners, a resource scientist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. “We lost a sizeable portion of our deer population because of EHD (viral disease),” he said. “It began with the severe drought in 2012.” More State Farm deer collision facts: • Missouri is ranked 18th in the country for the most deer collisions • For the eighth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a collision is most likely with1 in 39 odds. Hawaii rounds out the bottom of the list, also for the eighth year in a row, with 1 in 10,281 odds. Hawaiians are three times more likely to get struck by lightning in their lifetime than they are to hit a deer in the next year. Still a Threat In 2012, 175 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: • Always wear your seatbelt • At night, when there is no oncoming traffic, use high beams • Be particularly cautious between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m., when deer are most active • Avoid swerving when you see a deer • Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles 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 during the time frame of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 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.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:50:11 +0000
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