Car-deer collisions keep rising; W.Va., S.D., Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania are the riskiest states

Hitting a deer with your car is becoming more common in rural areas, especially during the mating season, which is on now, but the chance of hitting one is higher in some states than others.

State Farm Insurance Co. annually calculates the odds of hitting a deer by using claims data and licensed-driver counts from the Federal Highway Administration. The company found, for the sixth consecutive year, that the chance of hitting a deer is greatest in West Virginia. (Photo by Joe Kosack, Pennsylvania Game Commission)

From second to fifth are South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The number of deer-related collisions nationally has increased by 7.7 percent over the past year, according to State Farm. The rate of deer-related accidents per driver increased over last year in each of the top five states. (Read more)