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10 worst states for deer crashes
Deer can be a major road hazard, especially during the fall mating season and particularly in these 10 states. They top the 2016 deer-crash risk rankings from auto insurance giant State Farm, which uses claims data and driver counts to determine the likelihood that a motorist will hit a deer in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
State Farm says the claims for these accidents cost about $4,000, on average. See which states are riskiest for run-ins with deer.
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10. Mississippi
Odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 87
Last year’s rank: No. 8
Mississippi officials estimate that there are around 1.75 million white-tailed deer in the Magnolia State, and motorists encounter the animals all too often. State Farm says the chances of a collision with deer are up 1.1% compared with last year.
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8. Wyoming (tie)
Odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 85
Last year’s rank: No. 12
State Farm says the risk of a deer crash in Wyoming has surged 17.6% in the past year, propelling the state into the top 10. And it’s not only white-tailed deer that drivers have to watch for. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says the state has even more mule deer, plus the largest antelope population in North America.
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8. Michigan (tie)
Odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 85
Last year’s rank: No. 10
Michigan has leaped 2 spaces up the list, as State Farm says the odds that a motorist will hit a deer in the state have jumped 14.1% in the past year. The Michigan Deer Crash Coalition, which includes law enforcement and AAA, says the state averages 185 deer crashes each day. Last year’s accidents killed 10 people.
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7. Minnesota
Odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 80
Last year’s rank: No. 7
Minnesota estimates that it has an annual population of up to 1 million white-tailed deer. The state’s Department of Natural Resources says whitetails are found throughout Minnesota, in every county.
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6. Wisconsin
Odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 77
Last year’s rank: No. 6
Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation says the number of people injured or killed in crashes with deer has been rising since the late 1970s. The Badger State logged nearly 20,000 collisions with deer during 2015, accounting for more than 16% of all vehicle accidents.
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5. South Dakota
Odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 70
Last year’s rank: No. 5
South Dakota remains at No. 5 for the third year in a row, even as deer-crash risks have worsened. State Farm says a motorist is now 4.3% more likely to hit a deer in the state that’s home to Mount Rushmore than in 2015.
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4. Iowa
Odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 68
Last year’s rank: No. 3
Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources says deer thrive in the Hawkeye State and number about 400,000 after hunting season. Iowa has slipped a notch on State Farm’s deer-crash list as the chances a motorist will collide with one of the animals have held steady from last year.
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3. Pennsylvania
Odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 67
Last year’s rank: No. 4
Pennsylvania, the 6th-largest state by population, had more than 3,600 auto accidents involving deer in 2015, according to the state’s Department of Transportation. A half-dozen people were killed in those crashes. State Farm says a motorist’s likelihood of hitting a deer in the Keystone State has gone up 4.5% since last year.
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2. Montana
Odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 58
Last year’s rank: No. 3
Deer roam year-round throughout Montana’s wide-open spaces and have become even more of a hoofed hazard within the past year, according to State Farm. It says the chances of a Montana motorist having an accident with a deer are up 19% compared with last year.
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1. West Virginia
Odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 41
Last year’s rank: No. 1
West Virginia — filled with rural, winding roads — tops this ranking for the 10th straight year, and the odds have gotten worse for deer-wary motorists in the Mountain State. State Farm says the likelihood that a driver will collide with a deer in West Virginia is up 5.4% from last year, when the odds were 1 in 44.
Didn’t find your state? See our chart of deer-crash risks by state.
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