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New data shows odds Idaho drivers will collide with a deer are on the decline

Idaho drivers are nearly six percent less likely to collide with a deer in the next 12 months than they were last year, according to new claims data from State Farm. The odds drivers will hit a deer in Idaho in the coming year are 1 out of 172, compared to the national odds of 1 in 169.

Using its claims data and state licensed driver counts from the Federal Highway Administration, State Farm, the nation's leading auto insurer, calculates the chances of any single American motorist striking a deer over the next 12 months state by state.

The national cost per claim average is $3,888, up 13.9 percent from 2013 when the average was $3,414.

The months a driver is most likely to collide with a deer in Idaho, mostly due to mating and hunting seasons, are November, October and December.

For the eighth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a collision is most likely, with 1 in 39 odds. Hawaii rounds out the bottom of the list, also for the eighth year in a row, with 1 in 10,281 odds.

Injuries and fatalities can result from vehicle collisions with deer. In 2012, 175 deaths were the result of collisions with animals, with deer being the animal most often struck, according to the Insurance Information Institute and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The following tips could help drivers avoid a collision:

Use extra caution in known deer zones
Always wear your seatbelt
At night, when there is no oncoming traffic, use high beams
Avoid swerving when you see a deer
Scan the road for deer and other danger signs
Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles

Here are some deer facts that all drivers should know:

Deer are on all roads
Deer are unpredictable
Deer often move in groups
Deer movement is most prevalent in the fall
Dusk and dawn are high-risk times

Source: Valley Times (Meridian)