With deer running rampant from the first sign of frost through to December, motorists are increasingly running the risk of putting the bam on Bambi. And while vehicle collisions with big bucks often bring big bucks to body shops for the resulting repairs, a number of business owners are gaining positive publicity by serving as informational resources for their local media outlets.
DEER CRASHES
In markets throughout the country, newspaper accounts and television reports conveying the inherent dangers posed by car-deer crashes frequently include quotes from body shop personnel offering advice on avoiding these collisions – which can create considerable carnage. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that there are more than 1.5 million deer-vehicle crashes each year, resulting in 150 occupant deaths, tens of thousands of injuries and more than $1 billion in damage to cars, trucks and motorcycles. The average cost per insurance claim for this type of collision damage amounts to about $2,600, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III). State Farm reports that a repair can exceed $10,000 when a higher-end vehicle meets up with a deer, moose or elk. While these collisions can happen anytime, fall is the peak season for deer-car run-ins. That’s mainly because autumn is both mating season and hunting season; deer are more active and motivated to roam beyond their normal territory. The problem has become more acute as development encroaches into previously pristine forests and fields. “As our wildlife habitat continues to shrink, accidents with deer and other animals are likely to increase. We need to be more vigilant in our driving,” says Jeanne M. Salvatore, the III’s senior vice president and consumer spokesperson. By all accounts, collisions between cars and deer are vastly under-reported, with many drivers opting to quietly pay out-of-pocket for the repairs. In Wisconsin there were 17,555 reported vehicle-deer crashes in 2005; however, the actual number of deer-car collisions was likely twice that amount based on the fact that the Dairy State’s department of natural resources removed 41,687 deer carcasses from state roads last year. In the region surrounding Marietta, Ohio, the state highway patrol reports that a quarter of the wrecks it investigates involve deer. The local post says it is on a pace to handle 300 such calls this year. In Michigan, October marks “Car-Deer Crash Safety Awareness Month,” sponsored by the Michigan Deer Crash Coalition (MDCC), an affiliation of businesses and public safety organizations aimed at promoting the message: “Don’t Veer for Deer!” More than 17 percent of all crashes in Michigan involve deer. Last year, nine motorists were killed and 1,700 were injured by car-deer crashes, compared to three killed and 1,647 injured in 2004. The MDCC has a downloadable deer-car safety brochure available for free at http://www.semcog.org/TranPlan/TrafficSafety/MDCC/index.htm Some motorists insist deer whistles have helped them avoid collisions. But the Insurance Information Institute for Highway Safety says there is no scientific evidence supporting claims that they prevent deer from approaching cars or reduce crash risk. Perhaps a more promising approach, according to State Farm, is roadside reflectors, designed to reflect light from vehicle headlamps and cause deer to “freeze”" rather than cross the road. Studies and field tests suggest they do reduce crash frequency to some extent. Collision repairers can take steps toward promoting deer awareness while at the same time getting publicity for their shop, according to Lynn Sutfin, a communications representative at the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. “If body shops want to come up with a ‘hit list’ of tips that would be a good idea,” she points out. This is not necessarily an item for your waiting room -- by then it’s likely too late. Flyers, posters and press releases are among the suggested strategies for reaching your community. A number of shops have been granting media interviews. WRAL-TV in Raleigh, N.C., aired comments and advice from Mike Lanza at Atlas Collision Center. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram quoted T Paint and Body in Llano, Texas, the self-proclaimed Deer Capital of Texas: Half of the damaged cars come from deer collisions. In a given week, four of the 13 cars in the bays had tangled with deer. “Sometimes it’s just a bumper, sometimes it can be pretty extensive,” employee Kay Tribble told the newspaper. “One car we just had in here had $3,500 worth of damage, and it wasn’t even that obvious. They can mess up a vehicle pretty badly.” Coverage in Llano’s Herald Democrat reported that 80 percent of body repairs taking place at the Economy Body and Paint Shop involves repairing vehicles that have collided with deer. The company’s Daniel Baker related how “we had one lady who brought her SUV in for repair after hitting a deer. We repaired her damaged front fender and added a new grill guard. In less than a week she was back in here because she had struck another deer that had bounced off the grill and went through her front windshield.” The same story noted that feral hogs are the newest road risk in the area. Rather than damaging the outside of a vehicle like a deer, hogs are more likely to tear up underside components. The Daily Star in Oneonta, N.Y., ran a photo featuring Scavo’s Body Shop. The accompanying article included comments from Brian Rutherford, owner of Quality Body Shop, and Bill Banks, owner of Hillside Body Shop. Banks described how “the strangest one I ever saw involved a guy who hit a deer at night, went home and then brought the car in for an estimate in the morning. When I went out to look at the damage, the deer was still stuck behind the bumper. The guy had never looked at the car; he just knew he hit a deer.” The Detroit News mentioned that an auto dealership’s body shop repaired 21 deer-damaged cars last October. Employees maintain a wall map affixed with pins marking each customer’s deer-crash site. At the end of the year a drawing is held, and the winning client is awarded a gift certificate for dinner. |
