Ohio Department of Insurance Director Jillian Froment and Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Colonel Paul Pride are encouraging Ohioans to complete an insurance review and to drive with extra caution. November is the leading month for deer-vehicle crashes in the state.
“Ohioans can protect themselves by committing to attentive driving and having the appropriate insurance in place,” Froment said. “Driver focus is vital the entire year, especially in November with the amount of increased deer activity.”
Last year 4,256 deer-related crashes occurred on the state’s roadways in November, almost twice as many as the next leading month according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety. In total, people were involved in more than 18,400 deer-related crashes in 2016. The most incidents occurred in Stark (510), Lorain (459), Hamilton (452) Richland (433) and Trumbull (411) Counties.
“Driving requires your full attention,” Colonel Pride said. “If you see a deer in the roadway slow down but do not swerve. If you strike a deer, move to a safe place, turn on your hazard lights and report the accident.”
Deer are most active at dawn and dusk and to help keep safe, scan the road and shoulders ahead of you. Use high beams when there is no oncoming traffic.
Becoming more knowledgeable about insurance will be helpful during coverage evaluation and claim filing. The comprehensive coverage (also known as “other than collision” coverage) portion of an auto insurance policy often is used to pay for deer-vehicle damage repair. A liability-only policy does not cover the damage. Be certain to photograph any damage to support an insurance claim.
More safe driving tips are available at www.publicsafety.ohio.gov. Insurance information is available at www.insurance.ohio.gov. If you have insurance questions call the Ohio Department of Insurance at 1-800-686-1526.
