The Georgia DOT compiles statistics about car wrecks all over Georgia.
According to the Georgia DOT Report,
Crash Analysis, Statistics & Information (or, “CASI”), deer cause a number of car wrecks in Georgia,
and the number of wrecks being caused has risen nearly every year between
1996 and 2006.
If the deer actually hits the car, the driver (and, of course, the deer)
can be seriously injured or killed, and the car can be damaged or even
totaled. But even when the deer never actually hits the car, the deer
can cause a car wreck. As the deer runs toward the car, the car driver
may swerve to avoid the deer – and wind up running off the road
or colliding with another car. Either way, the driver or other drivers
may be seriously injured or killed, and the cars involved in the wreck
may be damaged.
Every year, deer cause a surprisingly large number of wrecks here in Georgia.
According to the Georgia DOT’s report:
1996: In the year 1996, 8544 crashes were caused by deer.
1997: In the year 1997, another 8645 wrecks were related to deer.
1998: The number of deer-related crashes ticked up in 1998, going to 8913.
1999: In 1999, deer caused 9901 motor vehicle wrecks here in Georgia.
2000: In 2000, the number of deer-related crashes, passed the 10,000 mark,
soaring to 10,565.
2001: In 2001, the number of deer-related crashes here in Georgia, passed
the 10,000 mark, soaring to 10,565.
2002: The number of deer causing crashes dipped slightly in 2002, falling
back below the 10,000 mark, down to a total of 9609 wrecks.
2003: 10,343 crashes were caused by deer in 2003, which was more than
in 2002, but still not back to the high reached in 2001.
2004: In 2004, the number of car wrecks caused by deer rose dramatically,
to 13,506.
2005: The number of deer-related crashes continued to rise in 2005, reaching 13,675.
2006: In 2006, the last year for which data is available, the number fell
very slightly from 2005, dropping to 13,545 car accidents caused by deer.
At the same time that the Georgia DOT stats show that deer-related crashes
are on the rise, they also show that – very fortunately —
the rate of car crashes caused by deer is dropping. In other words, although
more people are having deer-related wrecks, since more drivers than ever
are hitting Georgia roads, a smaller percentage of drivers are having
collisions caused by deer. In 1996, 16.1 drivers of every 10,000 had a
deer-related crash. With the exceptions of the years 2000 and 2001, the
rate has dropped fairly steadily every since. By 2006, only 12.2 drivers
of every 10,000 was involved in a wreck due to a deer running onto the roadway.
To summarize from the CASI report, Deer Related Crashes:
YEAR Number of deer-related crashes in Georgia Rate of car crashes in Georgia
due to deer (The rate was calculated per 10,000 licensed drivers)
1996 8,544 16.1 1997 8,645 16.1 1998 8,913 16.1 1999 8495 14.9 2000 9,901
17.1 2001 10,565 17.2 2002 9,609 14.6 2003 10,343 14.9 2004 13,506 12.1
2005 13,675 12.3 2006 13,545 12.2 TOTAL 115,741 14.9
In an earlier blog post, I told my own story of when a deer ran into my
car, and crushed in the driver’s side of the car. I am a lawyer
now, and I see this data from my perspective as a Georgia deer crash lawyer,
but I also see it through the lens of a young driver who personally experienced
a car collision with a deer.