April 22, 2024

Have you ever hit a deer while driving? The odds are pretty good you have if you live in Iowa. According to State Farm Insurance, Iowa is one of the 17 highest risk states for deer-vehicle accidents. West Virginia is the worst with what they calculate as the odds are one in seventeen. Wisconsin was at 1 in 38, and Iowa 1 in 63.

According to a 2022 study there were around 2.1 million deer-vehicle collisions a year. The cost was estimated at $10 billion in economic losses a year. And the accidents accounted for some 59,000 human injuries and 440 human deaths.

Here are some tips to avoid looking like I did a couple years ago.

Deer are most active in spring (fawning time) and fall when the bucks are most active.

When driving where the woods grow close to the road you have less time to react when a deer comes out to cross the road.

Avoid distracting driving, slow down in areas known to have high deer numbers, use your high beams when possible, but don’t blind oncoming traffic.

Car mounted whistles are not proven to reduce or prevent collisions, but do use good use of your car horn.

If you see one deer, be on the look out for more right behind it as they follow one another in single file.

Look for the reflection of headlights in a deer’s eyes on the shoulder of the road.

Scan roadsides, especially around wooded areas, fencerows, field edges and areas near water.

DO. NOT. SWERVE.

The chance of swerving to miss the deer often results in hitting something else, like a telephone pole or another car.