From does bumping Dodges to bucks taking on Buicks, the
number of deer-motor vehicle incidents in Ohio rose seven percent in 2015 over
2014.
Based on data profiled in an annual report compiled by a
joint task forth, last year Ohio saw 21,061 deer-motor vehicle incidents – the
most since 2011 when the state saw 22,696 such occurrences. This task force
consists of the Ohio Highway Patrol, the
Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife, and the Ohio
Insurance Institute
Last year, he report states, deer-motor vehicle incidents in
Ohio resulted in 801 injuries and four fatalities with an estimated total motor
vehicle repair bill of $85.1 million at an average of $3,995 per vehicle.
Also, nationally, the
industry-sponsored “Insurance Journal” electronic magazine says that each year
about 1.23 million deer-motor vehicle incidents occur, causing around $4
billion in vehicle damage. In 2014 - the last year such figures are available -
there were 166 deer-motor vehicle-associated fatalities.
In looking at the assembled data presented each autumn by
the Ohio entities, the counties with the highest deer-motor vehicle incidents
in 2015 included Lorain (596); Hamilton and Stark (527 each); Richland (503);
Clermont (491); Williams (433); Trumbull (425); Hancock 9411); Tuscarawas
(410); Defiance 409); and Cuyahoga (408).
The only county to finish with deer-motor vehicle accidents
in single digits in 2015 was Monroe County with just nine such occurrences.
As for deer-motor-vehicle-associated
fatalities in 2015, one each were noted in Belmont County, Harrison County,
Ross County, and Tuscarawas County.
The greatest number of injuries
associated with deer-motor vehicle incidents in 2015 included Cuyahoga County
(47); Lorain County (37); Clermont County (36); Hamilton County (31); Medina
County and Tuscarawas County (22 each); and Stark County (20).
Elsewhere in Northeast Ohio, the number of deer-motor vehicle incidents in 2015 were: Media County (401); Sandusky County (278); Geauga County (276); Erie County (273); Huron County (258); and Lake County (210).
Likewise, in further research
compiled annually by State Farm Insurance, the odds of an Ohio motorist being
involved in a deer-motor vehicle incident are pegged at one in 126. By
comparison, the odds next door in Pennsylvania are one in 67, while the odds to
the west in Indiana are one in 136.
To the south the odds of a
Kentucky motorist being involved in a deer-motor vehicle incident are one in 103.
However, the odds go way up in
West Virginia, which has the dubious distinction of the state with the most
likely odds of a motorist being involved in a deer-motor vehicle incident: one
in 41. This is followed by Montana (one in 58); Pennsylvania; Iowa (one in 68);
and South Dakota (one in 70).
Based on the State Farm Insurance
numbers the state with lowest odds of a motorist being involved in a deer-motor
vehicle incident is Hawaii – one in 18,955. Hawaii has a sizable population of
Axis deer, an introduced species.
An important item the Ohio Insurance Institute stresses is
that the organization plays no part as a deer-management lobbying organization;
dispelling a commonly held hunters’ myth that the insurance industry actively
solicits for a reduction in the state’s deer herd, says an Ohio insurance
industry official.
“Ohio's insurance industry doesn't take a position on deer
culling or other methods of controlling the state's deer population,” said Mary
Bonelli, the Institute’s senior vice president of public information.
“We believe the ODNR Division of Wildlife, in tandem with
local government, brings the proper balance to address these matters. The Ohio
Insurance Institute’s role, along with its state agency partners, is to bring
to light safety-related issues such as the elevated risk of deer-vehicle
crashes in the coming months along with ways to curtail them.”
And it is just such prevention that Bonelli says her group
stresses, too.
“October through December is the peak deer mating season in
the Buckeye state, called the ‘rut’ and we urge Ohio motorists to be on the
lookout for deer near roadways during this heightened period of deer activity,”
Bonelli said.
Since deer tend to
travel in groups, if a motorist sees one, expect others, also says Bonelli who
added that peak hours for experiencing a deer-motor vehicle incident are 5 a.m.
to 8 a.m., and again from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“Especially in areas known to have high density of deer
population, the Ohio Insurance institue recommends using high beams when
there’s no opposing traffic. High beams illuminate the eyes of deer, providing
drivers better reaction time,” Bonelli said.
Bonelli says too that such deer avoidance devices as
car-mounted high-pitched whistles and special reflectors have “not proven to
reduce collisions and may even lull a person into a false sense of security.”
“Data shows that the number of deer-motor vehicle crashes is
on the rise in Ohio. We've also seen an increase in overall crashes in the
Buckeye state which suggests this,” Bonelli said as well.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
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