Drivers in Mississippi, Louisiana and many other states know very well that the risk of colliding with a deer greatly increases during the winter months. The Washington Post website harnessed a bunch of information to define the increase and explain why it happens. One reason you may know; the other one you may not.
First, some numbers for a full year, July 2021 to June 2022. According to State Farm Insurance, drivers in West Virginia and Montana led the way in filing accident claims that involved a collision with an animal, usually a deer. More than 2% of claims in those states involved deer.
Mississippi ranked eighth nationally, with 1.67% of claims involving an animal collision. Louisiana was way down the list, with only 0.56% of such claims — since there are few deer in large cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
The story does not say whether State Farm collects its information from other auto insurers. Also, an obvious flaw, especially relevant in Mississippi, is that deer collisions with uninsured vehicles apparently are not part of this count.
As far as when these collisions occur, November is the clear leader. A University of Washington study of more than 1 million deer-vehicle collisions in 23 states between 1994 and 2021 shows that for drivers in Eastern, Southern and Midwestern states, the risk starts increasing in October, peaks in mid-November at three or four times the normal rate, and then returns close to normal by the end of December.
“Experienced deer hunters can probably guess why driving in November can turn into Russian roulette on certain highways and byways: In much of the country, that’s rutting season,” the Post said. An Alabama wildlife official compared our frisky whitetail bucks of November to teenage boys. They are literally chasing does across rural roads without looking first. Which is no problem until they sprint in front of an oncoming vehicle.
The Washington state researchers also found that another event every November may play a role in the greater rate of deer collisions that month. It’s the “falling back” when the country switches to Daylight Standard Time.
“Millions of drivers find themselves contending with lower visibility just as sex hormones flood the local deer population,” the Post observed. The Washington study estimated that switching time in November increases deer collisions by 16% in the weeks after the time changes in November. The study further says that staying all year on Daylight Saving Time, which would mean a later sunrise and later sunset during the winter, would prevent the deaths of 36,000 deer and 33 people.
A higher risk of hitting a deer in November is not a reason to drop the time change. But it is worth noting that, according to a Utah State University biologist, 458 Americans die each year in a confrontation with wildlife. Deer are responsible for an estimated 440 of those deaths.
Deer are not predators. They’re just not looking when they cross a road. It’s up to drivers to be aware of the increased risk and slow down.
— Jack Ryan, McComb Enterprise-Journal
