Collision With An Ungulate? Covered??

Ungulates - you've seen them in the countryside, in the woods, in your neighborhood.  It is estimated there are more than 20 million of them in the US alone!  Ungulates?  Mammals with hooves....antelopes, camels, goats, deer.  Bambi is an even-toed ungulate!

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are approximately 1 million deer related vehicle crashes each year that kill nearly 200 people, injure over 10,000 and result in over $1 billion in vehicle damage.

Why does everyone insist that you MUST have comprehensive coverage to pay for your contact with deer?  Not to contradict the Insurance Information Institute, but, in my humble opinion, that is simply not the case.

Keep in mind that both the personal and commercial auto policies define "comprehensive" coverage to include "contact with a bird or animal".  However,  if you only carry "collision" coverage, deer collision can be covered there as well.

The fact is that we normally want the ungulate accident covered under comprehensive for simple economic reasons.  Normally, the deductible that you carry (amount that you pay before the insurance company gets involved) is smaller on comprehensive coverage than on collision coverage.

Contact with a bird or animal is comprehensive IF you carry comprehensive.   If you only carry collision, this damage can be covered under collision as well.  On that issue, I will respectfully disagree with III.org.  However, I heartily endorse their precautions and advice on avoiding deer accidents.

Remember that fall deer mating season is upon us.  Be alert for deer at dawn and dusk.  If you do have a collision with a deer, be thankful that the ungulate you collide with is a deer, and not his "odd-toed" ungulate cousin, the rhinoceroses.  That would be quite a claim!