{"id":2016,"date":"2014-09-17T21:38:52","date_gmt":"2014-09-17T21:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/?p=2016"},"modified":"2025-01-20T15:34:20","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T15:34:20","slug":"does-car-insurance-cover-wildlife-collisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/auto\/does-car-insurance-cover-wildlife-collisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Car Insurance Cover Wildlife Collisions?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hitting an animal with your car can be a frightening and financially expensive experience. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration<\/a> (NHTSA), yearly collisions involving just deer alone total 1.5 million car accidents. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety puts the average collision cost at $2,800. The average weight of an adult deer ranges between 155 and 203 pounds. (According to Consumer Reports, the average deer-car collision costs almost $3,200).<\/p>\n

You can be sure auto insurance<\/a> companies aren\u2019t thrilled about these statistics:<\/p>\n

Facts about wildlife-related crashes<\/h2>\n

\u2022 Each year, about 200 people are killed
\n\u2022 Cost totals more than $8 billion
\n\u2022 90 percent of the accidents occur on rural two-lane roads
\n\u2022 Most common animal involved is a deer<\/p>\n

Top states, respectively, with most deer collisions<\/h2>\n

\u2022 West Virginia
\n\u2022 Iowa
\n\u2022 South Dakota
\n\u2022 Pennsylvania
\n\u2022 Michigan<\/p>\n

The three most active months for deer collisions are October, November, and June\u2026when love is in the air.<\/p>\n

Because animal-related damage is usually classified as an “other than collision” claim, it’s a good idea to make sure your car insurance includes comprehensive coverage. This covers so-called \u201cacts of God\u201d, such as flood, wind, and hail, as well as fire, vandalism and theft.<\/p>\n

Damages resulting from collisions with a deer or a bear are considered acts of nature, allowing you to file a property damage claim under your insurance policy’s comprehensive coverage.<\/p>\n

If you do file a claim, your insurance rates may increase. Regulations concerning increased rates for a comprehensive claim depend on your insurance company and your state.<\/p>\n

What to do if you hit an animal<\/h2>\n

\u2022 First, make sure you and your passengers are okay
\n\u2022 Pull to the side of the road and turn on your hazard flashers
\n\u2022 Use flares (if you have them) to warn other drivers
\n\u2022 Call the police and report the accident (many state laws enforce strict penalties for fleeing the scene of an animal-related accident)
\n\u2022 Take pictures of the scene; document any damages to your vehicle.<\/p>\n

Driving tips to avoid hitting deer*:<\/h2>\n

\u2022 Watch for deer between sunset and midnight, and during pre-dawn hours when they’re most active.
\n\u2022 Be especially attentive for deer during the October-to-January migration and mating season.
\n\u2022 Slow down in posted deer-crossing areas.
\n\u2022 If you see one deer, remember that others are probably nearby.
\n\u2022 Use high beams at night in deer territory when there is no oncoming traffic.
\n\u2022 If a deer is frozen in your headlights, honk your horn in a loud, sustained blast.
\n\u2022 Don’t rely on deer whistles or roadside reflectors; they have not been proven effective.
\n\u2022 If you can’t avoid a deer, brake and stay in your lane. Don’t endanger other vehicles.
\n\u2022 If you strike a deer, do not touch the animal. It may harm you or further injure itself.
\n\u2022 Call police immediately if you hit or are hit by a deer.
\n\u2022 Take pictures of the accident scene and vehicle damage for your insurance claim.<\/p>\n

A final word about swerving<\/h2>\n

If you decide to swerve and miss the deer, bear or other kind of animal, and end up hitting something like a tree, you will need to make a claim under your collision coverage. The bottom line is since you didn\u2019t actually hit the animal, your comprehensive coverage will not apply.<\/p>\n

Are you looking for more affordable auto<\/a> insurance options? Get a free auto insurance quote<\/a> from Freeway Insurance and find out how much you can save. Call (800) 700-5620<\/strong> today to speak with a live agent who can answer all of your insurance questions.<\/em><\/p>\n

*Sources: Insurance Information Institute
\nMitch Wilson, Ohio Insurance Institute<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hitting an animal with your car can be a frightening and financially expensive experience. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), yearly collisions involving just deer alone total 1.5 million car accidents. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety puts the average collision cost at $2,800. The average weight of an adult deer ranges […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1002628,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[81,85],"importance":[],"type-content":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1002628"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2016"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8632,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016\/revisions\/8632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2016"},{"taxonomy":"importance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/importance?post=2016"},{"taxonomy":"type-content","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-content?post=2016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}