Online Auto Insurance: Consider Getting Protected against Deer-Vehicle Crashes

CHARLESTON, W.Va., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- With breeding season for deer beginning in October and running through January, motorists should know that there's an increased likelihood of deer-involved collisions, and the possibility of big financial loss exists if you don't have the right insurance, warns Online Auto Insurance.

Deer, which seldom travel alone and can be unpredictable on the roadways, present a hazard in some parts of the country that motorists should be extra wary of during this time of year. Crashing into a deer can not only be dangerous but also carry insurance implications that can, at times, be costly.

A report from West Virginia regulators showed that in 2010 the average physical damage insurance payout for a deer-vehicle collision in that state was $2,432, with all such collisions that year costing insurers a total of $52 million.

Luckily, insurers generally don't consider drivers at-fault when they crash with deer, so a driver unfortunate enough to collide with a deer shouldn't expect to see their premium go up. 

But that $52 million sum only accounts for the amount insurers had to pay out to drivers who collided with a deer and had comprehensive coverage, an optional coverage type which covers damages that are the result of run-ins on the road with wildlife.

Policyholders who don't want to dip into their own pocket for deer-related repairs should run a car insurance comparison to see how much it would be to add comprehensive coverage, which compensates motorists for not only repairs necessitated by collisions with animals but also damage from things like adverse weather and vandalism.

Location has a strong link with the likelihood of getting into a wildlife-caused crash. According to the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 State Farm annual report on deer-related claims data, drivers in West Virginia have the highest likelihood of getting into an accident. At the other end of the spectrum, drivers in Hawaii have the lowest likelihood.

For more on this and related issues, head to http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/compare/ for access to an easy-to-use quote-comparison generator and informative resource pages. 

SOURCE Online Auto, LLC