Animal-related Crashes, Injuries, and Deaths in the United States, 2020–2024

Introduction

Striking an animal or taking sudden evasive action to attempt to avoid crashing has the potential to result in injury, or sometimes even death. The purpose of this study is to provide current national statistics on crashes, injuries, and deaths in which vehicles strike or are struck by animals, or crash after attempting to avoid animals. The study also examines the characteristics of animal-related crashes to provide insights into how they can be mitigated or prevented.

Methodology

Crash databases from the United States Department of Transportation were used to estimate annual numbers of crashes, injuries, and deaths in animal-related crashes. Data from the states of North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were used to examine the characteristics of animal-related crashes in greater depth.

Key Findings

Animal-related crashes result in at least 353,800 police-reported crashes, 49,725 injuries, and 277 deaths each year. True numbers of non-fatal crashes and injuries are likely higher, as many such crashes may not be reported to law enforcement agencies or transportation departments.

Crashes were by far the most likely to involve animals in the Midwest; the Northeast had a substantial share of animal-related crashes as well. Animal-related crashes were most prevalent in the fall and peaked in November.

The vast majority of animal-related crashes that lead to the death of a vehicle occupant involve other events more severe than striking the animal, such as striking a tree, colliding with another vehicle, or rolling over. This finding suggests that in many instances, taking sudden evasive action to attempt to avoid striking an animal may be riskier than striking it. However, it is important to note that the current study was not able to determine the types of animals involved in the crashes examined. While a large majority are suspected to involve deer, a recommendation against taking evasive action may not be generalizable to every situation, particularly when motorists encounter much larger animals such as moose, elk, or bison.

While the vast majority of people injured in animal-related crashes were riding in cars or trucks, motorcyclists accounted for nearly half of all fatalities, highlighting the vulnerability of motorcyclists to severe injury or death in the event of a crash with an animal.

Most animal-related crashes occur in rural areas, often in darkness, and on roads with speed limits of 45 miles per hour or higher. Results highlight the importance of motorists maintaining safe speeds, so that in the event of an unexpected situation such as an animal entering the road, they have more time to identify the hazard and respond safely.