Why fall is peak season for deer-car collisions
Shorter days and deer mating season create a dangerous combination for drivers, especially around dawn and dusk.
Shorter days and deer mating season create a dangerous combination for drivers, especially around dawn and dusk.
A deer darting into the road can leave drivers seconds to react, and fall brings a dangerous overlap: more active deer and less daylight during busy commuting hours.
Across much of the country, fall is deer mating season, also called the rut. Deer become more unpredictable, increasing the chance of one suddenly crossing a vehicle’s path, AAA Northeast warns.
Robert Sinclair Jr., senior manager of public affairs for AAA Northeast, told AccuWeather that the danger builds in late October and remains especially high in November.
“They start engaging in bad behavior, unpredictable behavior, especially running out into a road,” Sinclair said.
Why are deer collisions more common in fall?
A large red stag deer and hind are seen at dawn at Richmond Park on October 19, 2026 in London, England. The deer rut, or mating season, takes place in the autumn, as red stags and fallow bucks compete for females. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)
Mating season brings increased deer activity just as shorter days make the animals harder for drivers to see. Deer are particularly active around dawn and dusk, putting them near roads when many people are traveling to and from work.
Low light and sun glare can make spotting an animal along the shoulder more difficult. After dark, the danger can be especially pronounced on rural roads without streetlights.
“Nighttime is going to be the most dangerous time because it makes them harder to see,” Sinclair said.
Deer can also freeze when confronted by headlights, he explained, leaving an animal standing in a vehicle’s path.
The risk extends beyond wooded back roads. Development has encroached on deer habitat, creating opportunities for encounters in more populated areas.
“You can run into deer anywhere. Urban, rural, it doesn’t matter,” Sinclair said.
How common are crashes involving animals?
State Farm estimates more than 1.6 million animal-vehicle collision insurance claims nationwide between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. The insurer alone paid $1.9 billion in animal-vehicle collision claims during that period. Deer were the most frequently struck animals.
State Farm puts the national likelihood of an animal collision at 1 in 145, compared with 1 in 139 the previous year. West Virginia had the highest likelihood, at 1 in 46, followed by Montana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Pennsylvania had the most estimated claims across the insurance industry, at approximately 141,000.
Separately, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures cited by AAA Northeast show more than 1.5 million crashes involving live animals from 2020 through 2024, including 948 fatal crashes. More than 40% occurred between September and December. Those figures cover animals other than deer and measure crashes rather than insurance claims.
AAA’s analysis of New Jersey crash data found that November accounted for 20% of deer crashes from 2020 through 2025, the largest share of any month.
What should drivers do if a deer enters the road?
A young deer stands on the side of Overseas Highway in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Sept. 13, 2017, in Big Pine Key, Florida. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
“Don’t swerve. That is the most important piece of advice that drivers have to understand,” Sinclair said.
An abrupt turn can send a vehicle off the road, into a tree or into another vehicle. State Farm recommends braking firmly and staying in the lane when possible.
The New Jersey data illustrate the danger: Injuries were reported in 4.5% of crashes when vehicles struck deer directly, compared with more than 27% when drivers swerved and struck another vehicle or an object.
Drivers should scan road shoulders, obey speed limits and slow down when deer are nearby. Lower speeds provide more time to react and can reduce the severity of a collision, Sinclair said.
And one deer crossing does not mean the road is clear.
“If you see one deer, there are generally others. They usually travel in groups,” Sinclair said.
Can wildlife crossings help prevent crashes?
Wildlife vehicle collisions have dropped 91% along a stretch of Interstate 25 in Colorado thanks to North America’s largest wildlife overpass, a $15 million bridge that opened in December 2025.
Wildlife overpasses and underpasses offer animals a route across busy highways. Fencing helps guide them toward the crossings while reconnecting habitat divided by roads.
State Farm highlighted a project along Colorado Highway 9 near Kremmling, where wildlife overpasses, underpasses and fencing reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by 90% during early monitoring. Such projects can help protect drivers and animals by keeping wildlife out of traffic.
Another Colorado crossing, the Greenland Wildlife Overpass on Interstate 25, helped reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by 91% since its opening in December 2025, according to Colorado Department of Transportation.
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