CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia remains the state where residents are most likely to submit insurance claims over deer-vehicle collisions, according to an annual analysis by State Farm Insurance.
The insurance company estimated that from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, one in 41 West Virginia drivers hit a deer and filed a claim, according to State Farm spokesman Dave Phillips. That’s more frequent than last year, when State Farm estimated that one out of every 44 drivers filed a deer-related claim.
More than 28,200 West Virginia deer claims were reported during the time frame reviewed.
Phillips said this is the 10th year in a row West Virginia was ranked at No. 1. State Farm has analyzed the data for 14 years.
Montana was ranked as the state with the second-highest rate of claims. Pennsylvania, Iowa and South Dakota rounded out the top five.
The average national cost per claim was $3,995, down from $4,135 in 2014-2015.
November is the worst month for crashes, according to State Farm, followed by October.
“We know there is an increased risk of collision with deer around dawn and dusk, and also during the October-December breeding season,” Chris Mullen, director of technology research at State Farm, said in a news release. “However, drivers should be engaged, alert and on the lookout at all times, because you never know when you may need to react to a deer or any other obstacle that may suddenly be in your path.”