Michigan ranks 4th in the nation in car-deer collisions

COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Michigan ranks 4th in the nation for highest risk of vehicle-wildlife collisions, that’s according to data from national auto insurer State Farm.

Michigan drivers face a 1 in 61 chance of hitting an animal every time they take to the road, a rate that is more than double the national average.

White-tailed deer are by far the primary culprit, accounting for the vast majority of these incidents. Michigan State Police records show that motorists log more than 58,000 deer-involved crashes annually across the state, which costs drivers an estimated $130 million in vehicle damages each year.

The high collision rates are heavily concentrated in Michigan’s populous southern counties, where expanding suburban areas overlap with ideal wooded habitats. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Recourses , the state’s thriving herd of nearly 2 million deer creates high-friction zones on local roads.

State officials urge drivers to remain highly alert on two-lane roads. State legislators have been working to find ways to reduce the deer populations in the southern peninsula including the recently approved one buck rule that will take effect in 2027.

The House of Representatives passed a bill (HB 4445) seeking to lift the Lower Peninsula’s baiting ban and return this practice to hunters statewide as a tool to control rising deer populations and reduce crop damage.The bill is still awaiting further action in the state Senate.

Until it is signed into law, the ban remains in full effect, and hunting over bait piles is prohibited.

West Virginia, Montana and Wisconsin are the only states to rank higher than Michigan.

Michigan ranks 4th in the nation in car-deer collisions

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