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Believe it or not, when it comes to our worst enemy in the animal kingdom, sharks, alligators, snakes and other commonly feared animals need not apply. In fact, none of the "terrifying" animals portrayed as "killers" in our culture are responsible for the most human deaths.

The animals that claim the largest number of lives in the United States are deer. "The Insurance Information Institute estimates that there are more than 1.6 million deer-vehicle collisions each year, resulting in 150 occupant deaths, tens of thousands of injuries and over $3.6 billion in vehicle damage. An additional billion dollars is spent on medical payments for injuries to people in the car and out-of-pocket expenses paid by vehicle owners, bringing the total cost to approximately $4.6 billion. The average claim for deer-vehicle collisions is $3,000, with costs varying depending on the type of vehicle and severity of the damage." (quoted from (http://www.iii.org/press_releases/warning-to-motorists-fall-is-peak-season-for-deer-vehicle-collisions.html)

While the percentage of deer collisions resulting in a fatality is relatively low in Kentucky as compared to the nation, it is extremely important to recognize this ever-present risk. October, November, and December months see a huge increase in deer activity because of the run of mating season. Nearly 47% of all collisions with deer annually take place during this three-month period. November is by far the month of highest deer / auto collision incidence.

Deer / Auto collisions also follow a pattern over a 24 hour period. The highest likelihood for a collision with deer is during the peak hours in the evening between 5 PM and 8 PM, and in the morning between 5 AM and 8 M. 53% of all collisions happened in that timeframe for past five years.

On this page, you can view the following information:

Annual Deer / Auto Collisions

Updated 03/30/11

Year Number of Deer Collisions Fatalities Injured
2006 2,928 1 180
2007 2,917 3 160
2008 2,958 2 180
2009 3,070 1 176
2010 3,118 4 169

(Source: KSP CRASH)

Deer / Auto Collisions by Month

October, November, and December months see a huge increase in deer activity because of the run of mating season. Nearly 47% of all collisions with deer annually take place during this three-month period. The following shows an average number of collisions in the Commonwealth per month over the past five-year period. November is by far the month of highest deer / auto collision incidence.

Month 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total Average
January 195 224 198 183 175 975 195
February 146 143 149 146 170 754 151
March 186 159 186 159 194 884 177
April 170 176 184 179 171 880 176
May 220 178 220 206 197 1,021 204
June 212 210 226 228 209 1,085 217
July 145 171 164 130 153 763 153
August 108 157 108 114 111 598 120
September 145 246 148 140 177 856 171
October 370 348 428 374 461 1,981 396
November 692 650 684 940 812 3,778 756
December 339 255 263 271 288 1,416 283

High Detail Kentucky Deer Collision Map

Updated 03/30/11

This map shows concentrations of reported deer collisions over a five-year period in the month of November.

Click here for a high resolution deer collision
map in Adobe pdf format.

Deer Collisions by County - Total Percentage

The map below shows an average number of deer / auto collisions for each county over the past five years.

Check here to see a larger map (File size 2.74 MB, print size 34X22 inches, Adobe Acrobat Reader is Required)

County Five Year Total Annual Average
ADAIR 75 15
ALLEN 164 33
ANDERSON 105 21
BALLARD 30 6
BARREN 293 59
BATH 38 8
BELL 74 15
BOONE 768 154
BOURBON 77 15
BOYD 354 71
BOYLE 60 12
BRACKEN 51 10
BREATHITT 28 6
BRECKINRIDGE 67 13
BULLITT 108 22
BUTLER 26 5
CALDWELL 82 16
CALLOWAY 154 31
CAMPBELL 536 107
CARLISLE 10 2
CARROLL 139 28
CARTER 88 18
CASEY 29 6
CHRISTIAN 276 55
CLARK 67 13
CLAY 43 9
CLINTON 23 5
CRITTENDEN 42 8
CUMBERLAND 120 2
DAVIESS 312 62
EDMONSON 61 12
ELLIOTT 21 4
ESTILL 35 7
FAYETTE 135 27
FLEMING 332 6
FLOYD 169 34
FRANKLIN 443 89
FULTON 40 8
GALLATIN 59 12
GARRARD 21 4
GRANT 260 52
GRAVES 213 43
GRAYSON 148 30
GREEN 26 5
GREENUP 122 24
HANCOCK 79 16
HARDIN 412 82
HARLAN 48 10
HARRISON 161 32
HART 127 25
HENDERSON 343 69
HENRY 122 24
HICKMAN 8 2
HOPKINS 560 112
JACKSON 23 5
JEFFERSON 569 114
JESSAMINE 52 10
JOHNSON 89 18
KENTON 352 70
KNOTT 64 13
KNOX 111 22
LARUE 62 12
LAUREL 132 26
LAWRENCE 53 11
LEE 7 1
LESLIE 12 2
LETCHER 19 4
LEWIS 55 11
LINCOLN 58 12
LIVINGSTON 105 21
LOGAN 209 42
LYON 129 26
MADISON 130 26
MAGOFFIN 58 12
MARION 48 10
MARSHALL 284 57
MARTIN 18 4
MASON 283 57
MCCRACKEN 179 36
MCCREARY 65 13
MCLEAN 91 18
MEADE 121 24
MENIFEE 17 3
MERCER 63 13
METCALFE 89 18
MONROE 0 0
MONTGOMERY 64 13
MORGAN 72 14
MUHLENBERG 290 58
NELSON 208 42
NICHOLAS 33 7
OHIO 117 23
OLDHAM 199 40
OWEN 90 18
OWSLEY 15 3
PENDLETON 137 27
PERRY 37 7
PIKE 130 26
POWELL 33 7
PULASKI 241 48
ROBERTSON 3 1
ROCKCASTLE 89 18
ROWAN 196 39
RUSSELL 43 9
SCOTT 201 40
SHELBY 245 49
SIMPSON 63 13
SPENCER 51 10
TAYLOR 150 30
TODD 86 17
TRIGG 129 26
TRIMBLE 59 12
UNION 79 16
WARREN 252 50
WASHINGTON 56 11
WAYNE 34 7
WEBSTER 89 18
WHITLEY 56 11
WOLFE 52 10
WOODFORD 91 18

(Source: KSP CRASH)

Deer / Auto Collisions by Time of the Day for November

Time of Day 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Average Percent of Total
12:00 AM - 00:59AM 22 20 19 24 30 23 1.47%
1:00 AM - 1:59AM 14 13 17 30 26 20 1.28%
2:00 AM - 2:59 AM 12 15 17 15 725 16.8 1.07%
3:00 AM - 3:59 AM 16 13 14 24 17 16.8 1.07%
4:00 AM - 4:59 AM 17 19 14 16 22 17.6 1.12%
5:00 AM - 5:59 AM 21 22 30 41 30 28.8 1.84%
6:00 AM - 6:59 AM 40 35 34 57 54 44 2.81%
7:00 AM - 7:59 AM 40 52 36 49 49 45.2 2.89%
8:00 AM - 8:59 AM 7 18 15 19 27 17.2 1.10%
9:00 AM - 9:59 AM 7 14 8 12 13 10.8 0.69%
10:00 AM - 10:59 AM 9 6 11 17 14 11.4 0.73%
11:00 AM - 11:59 AM 8 12 10 11 8 9.8 0.63%
12:00 PM - 12:59 PM 14 13 9 7 510 10.6 0.68%
1:00 PM - 1:59 PM 6 4 4 5 7 5.4 0.34%
2:00 PM - 2:59 PM 6 2 8 4 5 5 0.32%
3:00 PM - 3:59 PM 6 10 8 5 4 6.6 0.42%
4:00 PM - 4:59 PM 19 11 15 10 18 14.6 0.93%
5:00 PM - 5:59 PM 74 61 84 94 72 77 4.92%
6:00 PM - 6:59 PM 114 91 89 167 136 119.4 7.63%
7:00 PM - 7:59 PM 78 67 80 105 60 78 4.98%
8:00 PM - 8:59 PM 49 46 59 76 67 59.4 3.79%
9:00 PM - 9:59 PM 37 39 45 67 57 49 3.13%
10:00 PM - 10:59 PM 35 31 35 53 39 38.6 2.47%
11:00 PM - 11:59 PM 38 30 23 31 22 28.8 1.84%

(Source: KSP CRASH)

Defensive Driving Tips to avoid hitting a deer

What to do when you Strike a Deer

If you are unable to avoid a collision with a deer, take the following steps:

Contact Information for the Kentucky State Police

Kentucky State Police
919 Versailles Road | Frankfort, KY 40601
502-782-1800

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