More than one million car accidents involve deer each year, resulting in $1 billion in damage. Fortunately, there are things you can do to reduce your chances of hitting a deer when you're behind the wheel. Understanding when and where they're most likely to show up can help you avoid having a run-in with one.

Hitting a deer is surprisingly common, especially in North America and parts of Europe. In the United States, recent 2025-2026 data indicates that drivers have a roughly 1 in 139 chance of a collision with an animal (primarily deer) each year. In high-risk states like West Virginia, those odds can be as high as 1 in 40. In the UK, it is estimated that between 40,000 and 74,000 deer are involved in vehicle collisions annually. These accidents are most frequent during the "rutting" (mating) season, which occurs from October to December, and again in May. Most collisions happen between dusk and dawn when deer are most active and visibility is lowest. To stay safe in 2026, experts recommend watching for the "eye shine" reflected in your headlights and remembering that if you see one deer cross the road, there are almost always others following closely behind, as they tend to travel in groups or herds.