New data released by the largest insurer of automobiles in the U.S. ranked Pennsylvania tops in the nation for claims filed for animal-vehicle collisions.
State Farm Insurance Co. said 1.8 million auto insurance claims involving animal collisions were filed across the nation between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. Pennsylvanians filed 153,397 of those claims, State Farm said in a release, making it No. 1 in the nation.
The data also ranked Pennsylvania third overall for likelihood of colliding with an animal, with drivers having a 1 in 59 chance of getting into an accident involving wildlife. West Virginia, a neighboring state, ranked No 1.
Heat map focuses on deer collisions
According to PennDOT, there were 5,848 accidents in Pennsylvania in 2022 that were directly or indirectly caused by deer. At least 1,264 people were injured and nine were killed, the data shows.
The data counts vehicular accidents — including 138 in Lehigh County and 125 in Northampton County — in which a deer was struck, or a crash that happened when a driver took evasive action due to deer appearing in the road.
Of those accidents, thousands occurred between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., or when lighting conditions were classified as dawn, dusk or dark.
Additional data from the Pennsylvania State Police shows 1,381 crashes involving deer reported from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2023. Those crashes were limited to accident reports taken by troopers and are not indicative of all crashes involving deer across the commonwealth this year.
The most dangerous months for animal collisions
According to State Farm, the most dangerous months for animal collisions are November, October and December, in that order.
The most common scenario to hit wildlife involves driving on a paved, rural road without much traffic when the sky is not quite dark, the insurer said. Results from a survey indicated between 30% and 50% of drivers had accidents during those conditions.
The survey also indicated that just one risky driving behavior, such as speeding or using a cellphone, increased the chance of an animal collision by 23%.
Lawmakers want wildlife corridors
“We know the bleak reality is that every year thousands of animals, including deer, bear, elk, game bird and turtles are killed on Pennsylvania’s roads,” PennEnvironment Conservation advocate Stephanie Wein said in a release.
Wein said the data highlights the urgency of investing in wildlife corridors across the state, calling them a “proven solution for helping to avoid wildlife-vehicular collisions.”
Source: wvia.org
Photo Credit: pexels-jim fawns
Categories: Pennsylvania, Rural Lifestyle