Dealing with Deer-Car Collisions
When it's car versus deer on the highway it's not always a pretty picture. Two hundred drivers die in collisions with deer every year in the U.S. October, November and December are peak months for these types of accidents and experts say they're on the rise.
On "The Early Show" Consumer Correspondent Susan Koeppen broadcast from Valley Grove, W. Va., the No. 1 state in the country for deer-vehicle collisions.
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She reported, "According to a recent study, if you live in this state your chance of hitting a deer in the next 12 months is 1 in 42. But nationwide, there are more than a million car-deer collisions every year."
Over the past two years, there have been an estimated 2.3 million deer-related accidents. That's 95,833 a month or 3,194 a day.
"It's estimated that over the past five years the number of deer vehicle collisions has increased more than 21 percent." Koeppen put it this way, "In the time it's taking me to talk to tell you all of this, it's likely that somewhere someone in America has hit a deer."
According to a new report by State Farm Insurance, West Virginia, Iowa, Michigan, South Dakota and Montana round out the top five states where drivers are most likely to hit a deer.
Experts say urban sprawl combined with more drivers on the road is a main reason for so many deer-car collisions, with the majority of the accidents happening between 6 and 9 p.m.
Expert Ed Mulka says a little device called Deer Deter is the possible solution to preventing many deer-car accidents. Now at work in places like Essex County, N.J., Koeppen explained the device senses the headlights of approaching cars and sets off a high pitched noise and a flashing light.
Koeppen asked Mulka, "So we have cars coming along, this senses the car and does what for the deer?"
He answered, "It's activated, if the deer is approaching, the deer just stops, the vehicles go by and the device stops going off and the deer will go on its way."
Essex County spent $100,000 on more than 400 devices for its biggest trouble spots. So far -- deer collisions have slowly started to decrease. But with a growing deer population, America's roadways are becoming increasingly hazardous for both deer and driver.
Koeppen added on "The Early Show", "In case you were wondering, the state of Hawaii has the lowest number of deer/vehicle collision. The chances of you hitting a deer in the Aloha State? One in 13,000."
Sometimes you can't avoid a deer collision because it happens so fast, but what are some things to reduce the chances of hitting a deer?
Koeppen advised, "Remember that deer travel in herds, so if you see one there's probably more, and experts say you should never try to swerve to avoid a deer. You can lose control of your car or put you into oncoming traffic. Also check your insurance policy - not all insurance policies will cover one of these accidents, and they can be pricey."