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What Are The Odds That You’ll Hit A Deer? Probably Higher Than You Think
October 17, 2010
Odds are, you or someone you know in North Escambia has hit a deer. If not, odds are you won’t have to wait long for that to change — maybe even on your next trip out to the store. In fact, a vehicle-deer collision happens every 26 seconds in the U.S.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, deer-vehicle collisions in the U.S. cause more than 200 fatalities each year. In June, the driver of a Ford Crown Victoria told state troopers that he swerved to miss a deer on Atmore Road. The vehicle overturned, killing Emmanuel Markay Rivers, 19, of Atmore and injuring two other people.
Last year, one North Escambia resident died after he hit a deer while on his motorcycle. Tad Fredrick Cann, 46, of Walnut Hill struck the deer about daybreak on February 9, 2009, near the intersection of Molino Road and Sunshine Hill Road.
Last Friday morning, one member of a family vacationing from Tennesee was injured on Highway 29 near Bogia Road in McDavid when a deer jumped into the side of their vehicle. Glass shards from a broken side window (pictured) sent one person to the hospital with lacerations.
In addition to actual collisions with deer, many North Escambia area accidents are attributed to drivers attempting to avoid deer.
While the number of miles driven by U.S. motorists over the past five years has increased just two percent, the number of deer-vehicle collisions in this country during that time has grown by 10 times that amount.
Using its claims data, auto insurer State Farm estimates 2.3 million collisions between deer and vehicles occurred in the U.S. during the two-year period between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2010. That’s 21.1 percent more than five years earlier. Most crash occur in the months of October, November and December.
The most likely state in which to hit a deer? West Virginia with a 1 in 429 chance. The least likely? Still Hawaii at 1 in 13,011. The odds of a Hawaiian driver hitting a deer between now and 12 months from now are roughly equivalent to the odds of finding a pearl in an oyster shell.
The likelihood of colliding with a deer in Florida during the next year is 1 in 971 across the state. But in the North Escambia area, our chances are much more like those in Alabama — about 1 in 150. The odds of deer-vehicle collision are up 33 percent over last year in the local area.
The average property damage cost of these incidents was $3,103, up 1.7 percent from a year ago, according to State Farm.
Pictured: Emmanuel Markay Rivers, 19, of Atmore, was pronounced dead at the scene of this single vehicle accident on Old Atmore Road in June, 2010. The driver of the vehicle said he swerved to avoid a deer. Pictured top inset: A passenger of this vehicle was injured October 15, 2010, when a deer shattered the side window. Pictured bottom inset: An Escambia County deputy was uninjured when he hit a deer on Highway 29 near Champion Drive in April, 2010. Pictured below: Four people were injured in this Miller Road accident when the driver of this SUV tried to avoid a deer in August, 2009. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
18 Responses to “What Are The Odds That You’ll Hit A Deer? Probably Higher Than You Think”
Although the FWC officers are great people it’s a shame they manage our deer the way they do. Check out the FWC values, they dont put the citizens first, environmentalist (treehuggers) They leave too many does every year making fawns born all year long. Notice most the deer you see are does with fawns, they are everywhere every night on the roads. This shouldn’t be, but because of poor management officials,who dont understand how to sustain the delicate balance of our area, we’re over run with deer now. You have land owners who love the deer too and wont kill them yet complain and condemn the hunters who do, yet people are still killed by too many every year.
I hit one in the early 80’s while on the interstate going under the posted speed limit….deers are confused by the lights, and don’t jump until it’s too late…my car was just going over a small rise in the road that completely obscured the deer in the road.
Both of us were pretty surprised. I tried to slow – but stayed in my lane due to traffic around me – that probably saved my life. The deer punched into the front and popped up over the roof and off the road to the right of me. Insurance covered the repairs, and since it was a steel car with a steel front end, I could drive it home. These new cars just fall apart if they’re looked at hard, so if a deer hits, Watch Out!
Heard someone say the best way to encounter a deer (or a large dog) on the road is to stay in your lane (don’t swerve), slow down (without locking the brakes), and BRACE for IMPACT. Maybe that was for a motorcycle, but works well for a car too.
I hit one in the early 80’s while on the interstate going under the posted speed limit….deers are confused by the lights, and don’t jump until it’s too late…my car was just going over a small rise in the road that completely obscured the deer in the road.
Both of us were pretty surprised. I tried to slow – but stayed in my lane due to traffice around me – that probably saved my life. The deer punched into the front and popped up over the roof and off the road to the right of me. Insurance covered the repairs, and since it was a steel car with a steel front end, I could drive it home. These new cars just fall apart if they’re looked at hard, so if a deer hits, Watch Out!
Heard someone say the best way to encounter a deer (or a large dog) on the road is to stay in your lane (don’t swerve), slow down (without locking the brakes), and BRACE for IMPACT. Maybe that was for a motorcycle, but works well for a car too.
To living up north. I know I would see them in the middle of the day.. Husband avoids them every day on the way to work in Illinois. Monster bucks!
Be very happy that you don’t have the deer that are found around Chicago and surrounding area. They are HUGE!
I was with the understanding that “shining” at night is illegal…if you are referring to what was called “spotlighting” years ago. Speed is a big factor in wrecks, especially if a person is going to try to dodge a deer. It’s best to slow down in areas where anyone knows that the deer are prone to be or cross roadways and don’t try to dodge them!!. I’m not so sure about blaming the FL game commission for the deer population being out of control. I would say the large landowners that have their “hunting clubs” with a hefty membership fee and a limit on the number of members would also be at fault. GREED!!! Deer are beautiful animals…but too much of a good thing is not a good thing!! Thin the herds so they don’t get diseased from interbreeding & also don’t have enough to eat…they then end up small & sickly and is that better than a quick bullet?
I agree with charlie and uncle allen.
These are the number of deer reported to insurance companies and law enforcement. We don’t know how many are not reported. My immediate family has killed six with only one reported for an insurance claim. A friend killed five at one time. I suggest we allow hunting at night as well as day time.
I try to limit my speed to 55mph after dark and I’m amazed at the people that ride my bumper, then zoom around me because they want to do 70. These people deserve to hit a deer.
I remember when there were few to no deer in this area. The game commission of FL,
and other states as well, has done a bad job of managing the deer population. They
seem to be more interested in selling license than anything else. Many fields in the area
are now useless for growing certain crops because of the over population of deer, the same deer the state says they own, but they will not take any responsibility for the damages to life and property caused by their failure to seriously address this problem.
I would agreee speed and other factors are a more likely cause of death rather than Bambi. defensive driving goes a long way. also as a side note real hunters don’t need dogs to hunt deer, you just need patience and planning.
Concerning the top picture…I do not think it is proper to blame a deer for the death of the young man. The alcohol and speed probably had more to do with the crash than bambi.
bring back deer hunting with dogs and we all benefit
Shining would be 100% illegal but it isn’t so there is nothing wrong with it, I don’t agree with Shining just to hit a deer but there isn’t anything wrong with Shining to look at them and honestly I would rather just go ahead and hit the deer instead of having to swerve and get myself in a bad car accident and take the risk of killing a life.
Allstate increased my insurance when it renewed for this six months. I question this and was told there was a rate increase in our area.. I assume that more people has had claims in the northend.
Most people try there best to miss a deer when possible, but some people like the “Shiners” Black Chevy Truck ; that kept me and my family up late last night run off the side of the road and all in the middle of the fields just to try and hit and kill the deer.
WATCH OUT FOR BAMBI!!!
And some people want the killing/hunting of deer stopped…….
Limits of bagged deer should be upped. I think they are very pretty and love to watch them. But this area is over-populated. Some need to go. Now, someone will say they have a right to be here too. They do. But you can’t make a deer stay within any boundries. Therefore, there needs to be fewer deer. God created man after his image – not deer, so man has top priority.