Avoid the dear cost of a deer-auto collision - Get insurance coverage

Which animal according to you poses the greatest threat to humans? Is it a shark or a bear? No, in North America, the answer will invariably be a Bambi! According to reports from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), vehicle clashes with deers every year cause around 200-250 deaths. Analysts from an ace auto insurance company, State Farm, estimate that deers were the reason of about 1.2 million collisions between 2012 July and 2013 June. Although the number was down by 3.5% from the same period a year earlier, the consequential property damage increased by 3.4%, to an average amount of $3500 per collision. In fact Mitch Walson, the spokesman of Ohio Insurance Institute (Oii) says that with the migrating and mating season occurring between October and January, vehicle collisions with deers have increased rapidly. Deers are most active at dusk and dawn from 5 p.m to 12 a.m and 5 a.m to 8 a.m. It’s needless to say that these hours are peak hours when cars are normally on the road.

As an unlucky vehicle owner will acknowledge, you always don’t necessarily require running into a deer in order to be involved in a crash. A lot of instances occur when you might not hit the deer but the deer may hit you or your car and leap onto your car. Deers have a mind of their own and most often they react unexpectedly. While you can’t tame a deer, the only thing that you may control is your own reaction while you see a deer crossing your way. Most startled vehicle drivers who have often gone through accidents with deer, moose, elk and some other hoofed mammals are often left in a state of shock by the ways in which their auto insurance policies handle their claims.

 Are you covered if you hit a deer? Do you know from where did the analogy “deer caught in the headlights” come from? Well, it stems from the fact that deers get temporarily blinded by motorists and most of them have the tendency of freezing in place. When you hit a deer, the claim will probably be paid by the comprehensive coverage of your auto insurance policy. If you’re aware of what constitutes a comprehensive claim on a car policy, you must also be aware that although the accident with the deer doesn’t make you an ‘at-fault’ driver, yet you have to pay the comprehensive deductible amount. In case you’re unsure of your auto policy coverage, check your declarations page to verify. Sometimes, a tow is needed post a deer accident and when you have comprehensive coverage, the tow is automatically covered as a part of the insurance claim.

Should you swerve to avoid a collision with the deer? Swerving to miss hitting a deer is something that is never recommended by the insurance experts. When you swerve to avoid hitting a deer, a lot more injury and damage is at stake. Swerving will increase the possibility of you hitting the oncoming traffic, light post, mailbox, ditch or even a tree. While the damage from hitting a deer is often negligible, the case won’t be the same when you hit a tree or any other object. You also become vulnerable to injuries when you swerve to miss hitting a deer. The consequences of swerving to miss a deer will also have different impact on your auto insurance policy. When you hit an inanimate object with your automobile, it is considered as collision. The collision accidents usually come with higher surcharges and deductibles.

Do you have a deductible and will the collision adversely affect your insurance rate? Comprehensive coverage on an auto insurance policy is usually purchased with a deductible. Since there are some companies that offer 0 deductible, it entirely depends on how you set your auto insurance policy. Comprehensive coverage is less costly than collision and is hence sold off with a lower deductible amount. If you wish to add a deductible on comprehensive coverage, this should certainly be applied to a deer-auto accident. Unfortunately, there’s no definite answer to the question, whether or not deer accidents will adversely impact your insurance rates. Different insurance companies have different rules on comprehensive coverage. Majorly, comprehensive claims don’t affect your insurance rate but in order to be sure about it, you should verify with your carrier. In some cases, if you file a number of claims within a stipulated period of time, your rates may shoot up. Hence, if you’re someone who has already had a few auto claims in the last few years, then this could push up your auto insurance rates. Therefore, when you’re driving in a deer territory, it’s your sheer responsibility to remain watchful as you shouldn’t expect the same from them. Ensure that your vehicle is adequately protected with comprehensive car insurance coverage so that you don’t have to end up paying a dear cost for colliding with a deer.

Author Marc Brown