FACTS

1. Whether a deer, dog, moose or squirrel, animals on the roadway are unexpected, and their actions can be erratic and unpredictable, creating a dangerous situation for motorists.
2. Most wildlife-vehicle collisions occur during the fall and winter, and many are preventable.
3. Be on the lookout for deer while you are commuting or cruising to enjoy autumn’s colors. Insurance claims for collisions with animals rise significantly in the fall when deer are mating, with November having the highest claim frequency.
4. Adapting pedestrian crash prevention systems to detect animals as well as people in the roadway help avoid many collisions.
5. Consumer Reports analysis shows that 61 percent of new cars now come with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. But not all systems are designed to recognize large animals.
6. Fall brings the dangerous combination of the deer being more active when we’re driving more in the dark due to the shorter daylight hours. Deer are most active at dawn and between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., so use your high beams at those times.

STATS

• The average cost of November animal-strike claims from 2006 to 2019 was $3,685 per claim, reports the HLDI, compared with $2,890 for February, the month with the least severe crashes. Its analysis is based on data from 25 insurance companies that specifically track animal collisions.
• Deer mating season can be a dangerous time for drivers, deer and car hoods. According to the Insurance Information Institute, 1.6 million deer-vehicle collisions occur each year, resulting in 200 fatalities, tens of thousands of injuries and over $3.6 billion in vehicle damage from adding to these statistics.
• Collisions with animals can result in occupant deaths. In 2018 (the most recent year with published data), 190 people were killed in crashes involving animals; 126 of those deaths were caused by hitting the animal, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.