It’s not Christmas yet, but drivers in Maryland and Virginia often hear the prancing and pawing of each little hoof… on their busy roads and highways. Virginia and Maryland are ranked 12th and 13th in the nation, respectively, for drivers’ chances of hitting a deer, according to a new study from State Farm Insurance Co. In Virginia, one in every 109.9 drivers has a chance of hitting a deer, while in Maryland, the chances drop to 119.5.
Virginia improved slightly from 11th last year, while Maryland slipped from 14th.
Neighboring West Virginia ranked first with a 1-in-52.8 chance, a consistent trend, according to State Farm. But drivers in the District are relatively risk-free, as the city placed 46th.
| Watch out for that deer | ||
| State | Rate of collisions | |
| 1. West Virginia | 1/52.8 | |
| 2. Iowa | 1/77.2 | |
| 3. South Dakota | 1/81.2 | |
| 4. Pennsylvania | 1/85.8 | |
| 5. Michigan | 1/90.5 | |
| 6. Montana | 1/92.7 | |
| 7. Wisconsin | 1/97.1 | |
| 8. Minnesota | 1/97.7 | |
| 9. North Dakota | 1/107.3 | |
| 10. Wyoming | 1/108.2 | |
| 11. Nebraska | 1/109.85 | |
| 12. Virginia | 1/109.90 | |
| 13. Maryland | 1/119.5 | |
| 14. Arkansas | 1/121.8 | |
Shari Kenny of Germantown was not surprised by the rankings. Her husband’s car was hit by a deer, resulting in a damaged door.
“There’s a tremendous amount of deer, I have them in my front yard,” she said.
Darius Pope of Olney had tougher words for the white-tailed herds. On a ride through Winchester, Va., his car was torn on the right side with more than $1,000 in damage.
“They’re evil animals, they’re not Bambi,” Pope said.
Nationally, State Farm estimated that deer collisions dropped 7 percent from last year and 9 percent from 3 years ago.
“It makes sense. The total number of miles has been trending down since the economic downturn,” said State Farm spokesman Dick Luedke. “So you’re less likely to collide into anything, let alone deer.”
Despite the decrease, Maryland and Virginia remain among the most risky states.
One of the best ways to prevent collisions is to cull the deer population, according to Rob Gibbs, Montgomery County’s Natural Resources manager, and Douglas Fisher, president of Deer Management Specialty Services in Fairfax County.
“The deer population is higher than ever,” Fisher said. “Even with all these efforts of the county and people.”
To prevent future deer collisions, Gibbs said Montgomery County Parks works with the county and state agencies on structural work for roads and highways.
“We worked for a year or more on the [Intercounty Connector] looking at every bridge or crossing that would allow the deer not to get hit,” Gibbs said.
Unlike Gibbs, Fisher said he has not worked on road structures to prevent further auto incidents.
“Unfortunately it’s all about money,” Fisher said. “People are not going to spend more money moving a highway or a bridge because it isn’t going to make a difference.”
Instead, Fisher said he concentrates on reducing the deer population, adding that the population of coyote — a natural deer predator — has increased this year.
