Since the clocks moved back an hour last weekend, motorists are spending more hours driving in the dark. Beyond the headlights, white-tailed deer are frantic, oblivious to everything but the hormonal instinct to mate.
In 2020-21, the national animal-vehicle collision rate increased, but technology is helping to reduce the number of deer killed by commercial truckers.
New data from State Farm Insurance shows the average U.S. driver has a 1 in 109 chance of colliding with an animal, and 70% of reported animal collisions involve deer. The most recent State Farm analysis estimates nearly 1.9 million insurance claims for animal collisions were filed nationwide from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021 — almost 200,000 more claims than in the previous 12-month period.
West Virginia drivers have the worst odds of hitting a deer: 1 in 37, according to State Farm. Pennsylvania was third on the list but dropped to a tie for fourth with Michigan in 2020-21, with the chance of crashing into a deer at 1 in 54.
Insurance researchers have calculated that each deer-vehicle collision costs Americans more than $8,000, including vehicle damage, insurance claims, medical bills, funeral costs, removal of carcasses and loss of the recreational value of the deer. Near misses are not recorded.
There are likely fewer near misses by trucks. Lytx, a tech firm that provides safety and routing options for companies operating big rigs, smaller trucks, buses, vans and other commercial and public sector vehicles, keeps track of animal activity and other hazards for thousands of commercial fleets and more than 1.4 million drivers worldwide.
The San Diego-based company combines and analyzes algorithms from machine vision and artificial intelligence technologies to advise drivers in real time about road hazards including seasonal, lunar and weather-related increases in animal crossing activity. The cab-mounted Lytx units record the vehicle's location and speed as well as sudden braking and swerving. Its database adds more than 200,000 new driving events each day, and its collision reports are included in the annual State Farm deer-vehicle collision advisories.
In 2014, Lytx commissioned a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute that evaluated the potential benefits of equipping all heavy trucks and buses in the United States with the Lytx system or similar safety products. The research found that the systems could prevent an average of 727 fatal truck and bus crashes (20.5% of the total in the study period) and save 801 lives (20% of total fatalities). Use of the equipment could reduce an average of 25,007 injuries in truck and bus crashes (35.2% of the total) and save 39,066 injuries (35.5% of total injuries) each year, according to the study.
A 35,000-pound 18-wheeler hauling 45,000 pounds of cargo traveling at the truck speed limit at night is not as nimble as a car. Swerving would be more dangerous than hitting the animal, and the driver may not be able to stop within the space brightened by the headlights, said Kyle Warlick, a client intelligence analyst with Lytx.
Because of the bulk of their vehicles, drivers of commercial rigs are less likely to be killed or injured in animal collisions, Mr. Warlick said. "[Drivers] might not even know they were in a collision until they arrive at their destination."
Transportation companies may be less likely to file deer-collision insurance reports because of competition in the commercial delivery business, he said.
"When a commercial vehicle is down, it's more than an insurance issue. The vehicle is temporarily unusable, causing problems with driver scheduling, logistics, cost of repair and inability to fill orders. Lytx helps them to avoid downtime."
Most deer-vehicle collisions occur at night in autumn and winter. A recent statement from the Pennsylvania Game Commission said drivers can reduce their chances of collisions with deer by staying alert and gaining a better understanding of deer behavior.
"Deer become more active in autumn with the lead-up to their fall breeding season," said the statement. "Around this time, many yearling bucks disperse from the areas in which they were born and travel, sometimes several dozen miles, to find new ranges. Meanwhile, adult bucks more often are cruising their home ranges in search of does, and they sometimes chase the does they encounter."
Around the end of summer, deer begin to experience a pre-rut in which fur color changes and males and females pair off in gender-based groups. The rut is triggered by the hours of light in autumn and winter days. But it impacts deer locally, not occurring simultaneously in all parts of the state. Deer show various mating behaviors from late September through mid-January.
Female deer can conceive during just two weeks each year. While in estrus, does hormonally signal they are receptive to mating. Bucks become hormonally addled, marking territories and relaying information about themselves through antler rubs, ground scrapes and the dispersal of saliva, urine and glandular secretions.
Males grow combative and lose their natural wariness. At the height of the rut, a buck is capable of running full speed nose-to-the-ground across an interstate highway focused only on the doe on the other side. He is not looking for gaps in traffic.
Nearly all females of reproductive age breed each year. Those that didn't mate or lost their embryos hormonally advertise they are back in the mating game during a second rut that usually starts after Christmas and runs through mid-January. Afterward, the post-rut is a much needed recovery time when bucks and does rest, eat and recuperate from the breeding season. Does start to fatten up to accommodate the physical demands of pregnancy.
To avoid a costly and potentially life-threatening collision with deer, the Game Commission advises drivers to slow down between dusk and dawn and sharpen their situational awareness. Watch for subtle movement in roadside shadows and learn to recognize the distinctive yellow dots formed when a deer's retina is reflected in headlights.
Deer often travel in groups and walk in single file. When a deer successfully crosses in front of you, don't watch it. The deer you're most likely to hit is the one behind it.
It is unlawful in Pennsylvania to collect road kills for personal use with one exception: deer. Deer may be claimed because state government believes that fresh venison is fresh venison, no matter how you get it. A driver who hits a deer with a vehicle is not required to report the accident to the Game Commission.
"If the deer dies, only Pennsylvania residents may claim the carcass," said the agency statement. "To do so, they must call the Game Commission region office representing the county where the accident occurred, and an agency dispatcher will collect the information needed to provide a free permit number, which the caller should write down."
Residents are required to call within 24 hours of taking possession of a road-killed deer. If the driver of the vehicle doesn't claim the carcass, a passing Pennsylvania motorist may claim the deer.
Nonresidents, crash into deer in your own state.
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