Insurer ranks state 8th in vehicle-deer collisions

SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Wisconsin ranks eighth in the U.S. for the likelihood of drivers crashing vehicles into deer, State Farm Insurance said Monday.

The likelihood of a Wisconsin motorist striking a deer is 1 in 116, Bloomington, Ill.-based State Farm said in a statement.

West Virginia was the top-ranked state with the chances of striking a deer there at 1 in 39. Michigan was second at 1 in 78. The average for the United States is 1 in 208, according to the State Farm analysis.

Using its claims data, State Farm estimates 2.4 million collisions between deer and vehicles occurred in the U.S. between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2009. That's 100,000 per month and 18.3% more than five years earlier. That's roughly equal to a vehicle-deer crash occurring every 26 seconds. And those crashes are much more likely this time of year as the animal's annual mating season begins.

State Farm ranks second in private passenger car insurance in Wisconsin, with 12.9% of the market, according to the state Insurance Commissioner's Office. Madison-based American Family is No. 1, with 22.5% of the market.