According to a new study released by State Farm Insurance, Alabamians have a 1 in 135 chance of hitting a deer with their car during deer season. Alabamians chance of collision with a deer is higher than in 28 other states.
Logically, the number of insurance claims regarding deer collisions rises from October to December. Drivers are also more likely to strike a deer in the road at dawn and dusk.
Deer collisions are incredibly dangerous, and the animals can even completely total a vehicle. Unfortunately, there is not much one can do to prevent or prepare for such an accident, as they often occur out of the blue.
One Alabama State Farm agent offered the best advice that she could. Agent Abbie Gardener Ballew of Greenville noted that sometimes the best course of action is to just “bite the bullet” and hit the deer.
“Try to slow down and brake. But don’t swerve off the road. A ditch can cause more damage to you,” Ballew told the Alabama News Network. “We can fix your car, we want you to be safe. So we want to make sure that if, if the last possible thing is to hit the deer… It’s going to damage the car but it might save your life.”
In Alabama, deer season has varying start and end dates depending on the location and the type of hunting. A complete breakdown of the hunting schedules and zones can be seen here.
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