WV HAS HIGHEST DEER COLLISION RATE - "Deer Whistles Don't Work"

(10/26/2007)

State Farm Insurance says the chances of a West Virginia vehicle colliding with a deer over the next 12 months are the highest in the nation - 1 in 57. The likelihood of being audited by the IRS is 1 in 150 and the likelihood of being struck by lightning is 1 in 280,000. State Farm said deer-vehicle 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," the company said. Drought conditions this summer also increase the danger for deer to roam closer to major roadways, while the need for new food sources is pushing them nearer to residential and metropolitan areas. State Farm says the collisions result in costing a lot of money. The total number of deer-vehicle collisions in the United States has increased 6.3 percent over a year ago, State Farm said. The average property damage cost of the collisions was just under $2,900. 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, says State Farm. "Do not rely on car-mounted deer whistles," State Farm advised. "They don't work."

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