The fall and winter months in the state of Pennsylvania are particularly scary months for animals and drivers sharing the road. Because days are full of a lot more darkness and many parts of the state find themselves to have dark and windy roads, it is quite common for drivers to have collisions with animals this time of year. The most commonly struck animal on the road is the deer, as they often freeze, hence the phrase a deer in headlights. After the deer, people most often hit smaller animals, such as racoons, dogs, and coyotes. These reports come straight from leading auto insurance provider State Farm Insurance.
State Farm also reports that Pennsylvania is the state with the highest number of animal and car collisions.
According to State Farm, they had over 150,000 insurance claims filed for incidents involving accident collisions from July ñ1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. The spokesperson for State farm, Dave Phillips, said that they have even seen incidents in which a bear was the animal struck in Pennsylvania. He went on to explain that interestingly enough, Pennsylvanians do not have the highest chance of hitting an animal according to statistics. In West Virginia, drivers have a higher risk of hitting an animal with odds of 1 in 40. Comparatively, Pennsylvania’s odds are 1 in 61. This still is quite high, earning them the number four spot in that ranking. The national average is a chance of 1 in 128 of hitting an animal with your car.
November is specifically the month with the most animal collisions.
State Farm released tips to Pennsylvania drivers on how to best avoid a collision with an animal when on the road. First, they said to driver slower, especially in the dark, as it will allow them to better see the environment around them. Furthermore, slower driving allows one to react quicker to an animal being in the road. Next, they advised to use high beams where it is safe to do so. If there are many drivers ahead of you or coming in the opposite direction, proceed with caution as high beams can sometimes cause temporary blindness. Lastly, they said if you do find yourself having hit an animal, contact the authorities and stay away from the animal. Frightened and likely wounded animals my react in a way that puts you at harm. Instead, they suggest to wait for the proper authorities to arrive and help and move the animal.
