Statistics regularly reflect that close to half of all collisions with deer take place during the three-month span of October, November, and December.

Bears, wolves, sharks, snakes, and alligators all probably make the cut when rattling off a list of the nation’s most intimidating animals, but did you know the deadliest animal in the U.S. is actually the white-tailed deer? Each year, this native species is the cause of more than 100 driving deaths in the U.S., according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

November boasts, by far, the highest number of these collisions. In fact, you are 3.5 times more likely to hit a deer in November over August, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute. Statistics regularly reflect that close to half of all collisions with deer take place during the three-month span of October, November, and December.

Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) Insurance claims data supports this trend. More than 8,400 deer strike claims were filed with KFB Insurance throughout 2023, totaling over $56 million in damages. Nearly 38% of those claims (3,169 claims valuing nearly $21 million) were reported from incidents occurring in the last three months of the year. To date, collisions during the month of November 2023 alone totaled next to $13 million. The average claim payout regarding deer strikes in 2023 was $6,671. 

According to a report by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources for 2022-2023, the estimated white-tailed deer population in the Commonwealth is 994,356. Statistically speaking, that sets up drivers for a lot of chances to hit one! (Fun fact: Drivers are least likely to hit a deer in the state of Hawaii, where the odds are just 1 in 18,955.)   

As migration and mating season comes to a peak, KFB advises travelers to drive defensively, especially in wooded areas and at dusk. Here are some ways to avoid a deer-induced disaster this season:      

1. Be particularly alert right around sunrise and between sunset and midnight, when deer are especially active. According to the KSP, almost 50% of deer collisions happen between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., with the 6 p.m. hour seeing more collisions than any other single hour.  
2. If you see a deer, slow down immediately! Firmly apply your brakes but continue to drive in a straight line. A swerving vehicle can confuse the animal and prevent it from picking a direction to flee. According to the IIHS, most deaths in collisions with deer occur in subsequent events when a vehicle runs off the road or a motorcyclist falls off the bike. 
3. Drive with caution when moving through deer-crossing zones and in areas where roads divide farm fields from forestland. Deer crossing signs are posted to alert drivers that certain stretches of road are commonly populated with deer. 
4. If you see a deer, expect there to be others. Deer travel in herds.
5. At night, use high beams whenever possible. They better illuminate the eyes of deer on or near the roadway.
6. Do not depend on deer whistles, deer fences or reflectors. These devices have not been proven to reduce collisions. The III recommends one long horn blast to frighten the deer away.    
7. Always wear a seat belt. The KSP reports that most people injured or killed in automobile collisions with deer are not wearing seat belts.
8. If you do hit a deer, do not touch the animal! The deer, in attempting to move or get away, could hurt you or itself.
9. Check your coverage! Many insurance companies do not cover deer strikes under collision coverage. Those insured by Kentucky Farm Bureau need to have Other than Collision to cover “contact with a pedestrian, animal or bird.”

>> We want you to be safe out there on the road… but accidents still happen.
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