The Franklin News-Post
P. O. Box 250
310 Main Street, SW
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
540-483-5113
Fax: 540-483-8013
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Monday, November 17, 2008
By JOEL TURNER - Staff Writer
Franklin County motorists, take note.
November is the peak month for collisions of vehicles with deer.
The number of people who die as a result of vehicle-animal collisions is increasing nationally, according to data from the federal government.
The number of people who have died in such crashes increased from 101 in 1993 to 150 in 2000, and 223 in 2007.
"The months with the most crash deaths coincide with the fall breeding season," said Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research for the Highway Loss Data Institute.
"Crashes in which people are killed are most likely to occur in rural areas and on roads with speed limits of 55 or higher," she said. "They're also more likely to occur in darkness, at dusk or at dawn."
"Urban sprawl means suburbia and deer habitat intersection in many parts of the country," said Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute.
"If you're driving in areas where deer are prevalent, the caution flag is out, especially in November," she said.
Motorcycle riders typically make up about half of the deaths on vehicle-animal crashes each year, even though registrations of cars, SUVs and pickup trucks outnumber motorcycles on the road 40 to 1.
Most of the crash deaths occurred after a motor vehicle had struck an animal and then ran off the road or a motorcyclist had fallen off a bike.
The study found that 60 percent of the people killed riding in vehicles weren't using safety belts, and 65 percent of those killed riding on motorcycles weren't wearing helmets.
The Virginia Farm Bureau auto insurance claims for collisions spike in November but generally are more frequent from October through January.
Last year, Farm Bureau policyholders filed 2,791 claims related to collisions with deer, and the company paid nearly $5.1 million in damages. |
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