From the dangers of driving at dusk and dawn to the most dangerous states for animal crashes, here's a quick rundown of what you need to know when it comes to crashes involving deer.
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00:00 Drivers beware, the most dangerous months for animal collisions, especially with deer,
00:06 are October, November, and December.
00:09 And for Bree and I, when you're coming in early in the morning, that's your number one
00:14 I'm peering left and right constantly.
00:16 Yeah, because you know they'll just shoot right out.
00:19 Dave Phillips is senior public affairs specialist with State Farm with a new study on where
00:24 animal collisions are most common.
00:26 Thanks for being here, Dave.
00:28 First question, in which states are the most at risk for driving and hitting an animal?
00:34 Well, good morning, Bernie and Bree.
00:36 Number one state in terms of collisions is Pennsylvania.
00:39 Number one state in terms of risk is West Virginia.
00:42 So those are the two states that seem to not only populate the top of our list, but have
00:48 consistently since we've been doing this study for about 20 years now.
00:52 And Dave, you and I were talking off camera.
00:55 You don't hit the deer.
00:57 They actually run in the U.
00:58 I have a rule of thumb.
00:59 If you actually see the deer, you're probably not going to hit it.
01:02 I've hit three deer and boom, all of a sudden it's there.
01:06 Now do these collisions happen more at night or early in the morning?
01:09 Well, it's both.
01:11 So it's dusk and dawn are the worst times.
01:14 So we're talking about driving in at 4 a.m.
01:16 That's kind of prime time.
01:17 And when we're driving home at night, and then you compound it with daylight savings
01:21 time as people are adjusting to the roadways.
01:24 It's also when they're most active to feed.
01:27 And then you have the rut, which is mating season, and you're on a collision course with
01:30 an animal, unfortunately.
01:33 And Dave, I've noticed that deer seem to come out at least after it rains.
01:38 And so that's going to add another hazard to the roads.
01:41 What are some tips drivers should keep in mind to avoid animal collisions?
01:46 The most important thing is to slow down.
01:48 Speed has a lot to do with the intensity of the crash, the damage to your vehicle, the
01:53 severity of the injury that can occur.
01:55 So the speed limits are posted for a reason.
01:57 Pay attention to those deer crossing signs.
02:00 They're there for a reason.
02:01 They're known to have those animals in the area.
02:04 If you do see a deer, brake as necessary.
02:08 If you're seeing a lot of them, tap your brakes so other motorists know something is going
02:11 on.
02:12 If the crash is inevitable, unfortunately, you're better off gliding in or hitting the
02:17 animal.
02:18 If you swerve, you can flip your vehicle.
02:20 You could end up going into oncoming traffic and hitting another car or lose control and
02:24 hit a tree or some other stationary object that's going to cause a lot more damage perhaps
02:29 than hitting the deer itself.
02:30 And you know, it's just not deer, Dave.
02:32 You're talking about this before.
02:34 Even smaller animals like squirrels or raccoons, I mean, they're not going to damage your car
02:40 if you hit them.
02:41 But if you try to swerve, that creates problems as well.
02:45 It's kind of a sad thing.
02:46 You don't want to kill anything, but you have a decision to make.
02:50 That's exactly right.
02:51 And rodents are number two after deer.
02:53 So that's your squirrels, your groundhogs, your cofers that are running out into the
02:57 roadway.
02:58 And your reaction, unfortunately, is a little bit of a panic.
03:01 So you swerve and get into those same situations that we were talking about.
03:05 Number three are dogs.
03:06 Number four is raccoons.
03:07 And number five is coyotes.
03:10 And that is nationally as we take a look at some of the most common animals that you strike
03:13 this time of year.
03:14 Coyotes.
03:15 Wouldn't want to hit one of those, Dave.
03:17 All right.
03:18 Dave Phillips, senior public affairs specialist with State Farm, thank you again for joining
03:23 us. You bet. Be safe, drive safe, take care all. Thank you so much.