Pennsylvania is one of the top states for auto crashes involving deer, other animals
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pennsylvania is one of the top states in the country for automobile crashes involving animals. Many of those crashes involve deer.
Most would say that deer are they're beautiful to look at, but that beauty quickly fades when you're facing thousands of dollars in damage.
New data from State Farm Insurance reveals that the odds of a driver hitting an animal this year across the country are 1-in-128, with much higher odds in Pennsylvania.
In Pennsylvania, the chances of being involved in a crash with a deer are the fourth highest in the country, with a 1-in-61 chance.
The state with the highest frequency of animal vs. automobile crashes is West Virginia, where there is a 1-in-40 chance of drivers colliding with a deer.
It's this time of year, from October through December, when collisions with deer are at their peak. That's because this is their mating season and both male and female deer are the most active.
The high crash rates go beyond the mating season, however. It's also because the number of deer in our area, primarily because their natural enemies aren't located here.
"Their reproductive biology evolved in the presence of predators like wolves and mountain lions, which are totally gone now, and so, their populations are so dense that they are out eating all the plant that they favor or even tolerate," said Ryan Utz, Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Chatham University.
Between a lack of predators, being in mating season, and hunting for food, the trio of factors have the deer running across roadways like never before.
State Farm says that you should slow down if you see animals close to the road and say not to swerve or veer off the road, even if you know you're going to hit an animal. They also say that flicking your high beams can cause animals to leave the area.
State Farm adds that you should especially watch for animals between dusk and dawn and to watch for herds.
When it comes to where you're most likely to hit a deer in this part of the country, it's driving down a paved road in rural Pennsylvania at dusk.
