Odds rise of drivers hitting deer on Idaho roads

As we hit the top months when drivers are mostly likely to hit deer on Idaho roads – November, September and October, in that order – State Farm Insurance, which analyzes claims data and government statistics each year, reports that Idaho drivers were nearly 17 percent more likely to hit a deer in the past year than they were a year earlier. The odds of hitting a deer on Idaho roads are 1 in 146, the company reports, above the national odds of 1 in 169, and 26 ^th -highest in the country.

West Virginia is the state where deer-car collisions are most likely; it’s held the top stop for the past nine years, and its current odds are 1 in 44. Hawaii is at the bottom.

The average insurance claim for a car-deer collision is now $4,135, up 6 percent from 2014, State Farm reports. The company offers these tips for drivers: Use extra caution in known deer zones; wear seatbelts; at night, when there is no oncoming traffic, use high beams; avoid swerving when you see a deer; and scan the road for deer and other danger signs. They also warn that deer are unpredictable and often move in groups, and that dusk to dawn are the most dangerous times.