WASHINGTON – As November approaches so do deer-related car accidents, and this year West Virginia tops the list.
State Farm released its annual deer-related crash list Tuesday. It’s the sixth year in a row West Virginia has taken the top spot. Virginia ranks No. 10 and Maryland comes in at No. 14.
Deer-related crashes are on the rise says State Farm spokesman Dick Luedke, and the season is just beginning – they’re most active this time of year.
“If a collision seems inevitable, swerving out of the way could cause even more damage than the collision with the deer would,” says Luedke.
“You should take note of the posted deer crossing signs, they’re not posted haphazardly, they are in areas where deer are more likely.”
Late Tuesday night, a vehicle accident involving a deer left Interstate 95 closed well into Wednesday morning.
Police say the driver swerved to avoid hitting a deer but overcorrected and clipped the gas tank of a tractor-trailer, causing it to jackknife and spill 150 gallons of diesel fuel.
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WTOP’s David Dildine contributed to this report. Follow WTOP Traffic and WTOP on Twitter.
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