West Virginia Leads Nation In Frequency Of Deer-Vehicle Collisions

Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Iowa Round Out Top Five

Bloomington, IL, October 22, 2007 -- According to State Farm Insurance® claims data, vehicles in West Virginia are most likely to collide with a deer. Using its deer claims data from the last half of 2006 and the first half of 2007 and motor vehicle registration counts by state from the Federal Highway Administration, State Farm estimates the chances of a West Virginia vehicle colliding with a deer over the next 12 months at 1 in 57.

That is nearly three times more likely than one estimate of the possibility that a person will be audited by the Internal Revenue Service in 2008 and 5,000 times more likely than another approximation of the chance that an individual will be struck by lightning between now and a year from now.

Michigan is second on the list of states where deer-vehicle collisions are most frequent.  The likelihood of a specific vehicle striking a deer there next year is 1 in 86.  Wisconsin is third (1 in 99), while Pennsylvania (1 in 100) and Iowa (1 in 109) round out the top five.
The bottom half of the top ten consists of Arkansas, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.

The state in which deer-vehicle collisions are least likely is Hawaii (1 in 16,624).  These incidents are ten times less likely in our 50th state than they are in any other state.

State Farm's data shows the total number of deer-vehicle collisions in the United States has increased 6.3 percent over a year ago.  State Farm policyholders were involved in 205,121 deer-related collisions between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, compared with 192,877 during the 12 months prior to that.

The average property damage cost of these incidents was just under $2,900, up 3 percent from a year ago.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety®, there are approximately 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions annually in the United States, causing more than 150 fatalities and $1.1 billion in property damage.

These collisions are more frequent during the deer migration and mating season in October, November and December.  The combination of growing deer populations and the displacement of deer habitat caused by urban sprawl is producing increasingly hazardous conditions for motorists and deer.

"State Farm has been committed to auto safety for several decades and that’s why we want to call attention to potential hazards like this one," said (ZONE SPOKESPERSON).  "We believe providing our customers with updated safety information helps prevent adversity."

Here are tips on how to reduce the chances of a deer-vehicle collision involving your vehicle will be part of the story we tell in next year's version of this news release:

1. Be aware of posted deer crossing signs.  These are placed in active deer crossing areas.
2. Remember that deer are most active between 6 and 9 p.m.
3. Use high beam headlamps as much as possible at night to illuminate the areas from which deer will enter roadways.
4. Keep in mind that deer generally travel in herds – if you see one, there is a strong possibility others are nearby.
5. Do not rely on car-mounted deer whistles.  They don’t work.
6. If a deer collision seems inevitable, attempting to swerve out of the way could cause you to lose control of your vehicle or place you in the path of an oncoming vehicle.

About State Farm

State Farm® insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S.  State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 76 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.7 million bank accounts.  State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies.  State Farm is ranked No.31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies.  For more information, please visit statefarm.com®.