The cost of those seemingly cute, cuddly deer out in the streets is actually more than you might imagine. Not only do they eat plants and crops, they can carry lyme disease and wreak havoc on your car insurance. Allan Sloan’s Fortune article on CNN Money discusses the financial impact of what he calls “rats with hooves.” That may be a bit harsh, but “The case against Bambi” has valid financial points.
State Farm car insurance says that 1.14 million accidents between deer and cars occurred in a one year time frame ending this June. That cost drivers and insurance companies close to $4 billion in damages. And if you include the accidents where drivers didn’t have any car insurance or comprehensive coverage, the cost of damages is even higher. In the past five years the number of deer related crashes has increased by 21%, while the number of miles people are driving only went up by 2%. The likely cause of that statistic is that there are a lot more deer out on the roads than there were five years ago.
The worst part is that deer are causing human fatalities in car crashes. It is estimated that 140 people were killed just last year because of deer-vehicle accidents. The top five states where accidents occurred were Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Virginia. The fewest accidents were in Rhode Island, Alaska, Nevada, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii. With fatalities and skyrocketing costs associated with deer-vehicle collisions, the author ponders whether eliminating some deer for the greater good of humans is the next step.
