Deer-Related Crashes Reportedly Up 19 Percent in Wash., Idaho

Motor vehicle crashes involving deer are up by about 19 percent in Washington and Idaho, judging by claims filed with one of the largest insurance companies in the two states.

In the year ending June 30, 1,629 drivers in Washington and 724 in Idaho filed claims with State Farm for damage from collisions with deer, company spokeswoman Nancy Carpenter said.

She said State Farm insures about one-fifth of the vehicles in Washington state. If the company’s figures are representative for insurance industry statewide, more than 8,000 crashes involved deer in the same period — about one-fifth of the number of deer killed by hunters annually in the state.

Topics Washington