Deer Declare Open Season on Vehicles

Avoiding Deer/Vehicle Collisions

As fall has arrived, the deer population is on the move and has declared open season on vehicles! October through December are the months that deer/vehicle accidents are most common. The average cost per insurance claim for collision damage is $2,800, with costs varying depending on the type of vehicle and severity of damage. When you factor in auto claims involving bodily injury, the average rises to $10,000.

Defensive driving tips to avoid hitting a deer.

• Be especially attentive from sunset to midnight and during the hours shortly before and after sunrise. These are the highest risk times for deer-vehicle collisions.
  
• Drive with caution when moving through deer-crossing zones, in areas known to have a large deer population and in areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forestland. Deer seldom run alone. If you see one deer, others may be nearby.
  
• When driving at night, use high beam headlights when there is no oncoming traffic. The high beams will better illuminate the eyes of deer on or near the roadway.
  
• Slow down and blow your horn with one long blast to frighten the deer away.
  
• Brake firmly when you notice a deer in or near your path, but stay in your lane. Many serious crashes occur when drivers swerve to avoid a deer and hit another vehicle or lose control of their cars.
  
• Always wear your seat belt. Most people injured in car/deer crashes were not wearing their seat belt.
  
• Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles, deer fences and reflectors to deter deer. These devices have not been proven to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.

If your vehicle strikes a deer, do not touch the animal. A frightened and wounded deer can hurt you or further injure itself. The best procedure is to get your car off the road, if possible, and call the police. Contact your insurance agent or company representative to report any damage to your car. Collision with an animal is covered under the comprehensive portion of your auto insurance policy.

Information courtesy of the Insurance Information Institute - www.iii.org

SBS INSURANCE AGENCY INCLUDED IN IIABA’S BEST PRACTICES STUDY

SBS Insurance Agency is part of an elite group of independent insurance agencies around the United States participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) “Best Practices” Study Group.

Each year since 1993, IIABA and Reagan Consulting, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm, join forces to study the country’s leading agencies in six revenue categories. The agencies comprising the study groups are selected every third year through a comprehensive nomination and qualifying process and awarded a “Best Practices Agency” designation. The selected “Best Practices” agencies retain their status during the three-year cycle by submitting extensive financial and operational data for review each year.

“We are very pleased with the results of the Best Practices Study of our agency. We use this to measure the strength and stability of SBS Insurance against our peer agencies across the nation,” commented Jim Runnebaum, SBS Insurance Agency president.

More than 1,200 independent agencies throughout the U.S. were nominated to take part in the annual study, but only 224 agencies qualified for the honor. To be chosen, the agency had to be among the 35-40 top-performing agencies in one of six revenue categories.

The agency was nominated by either an IIABA affiliated state association or an insurance company and qualified based on its operational excellence.

The Best Practices Study was initiated by IIABA in 1993 as the foundation for efforts to improve agency performance. The annual survey and study of leading independent insurance agencies documents the business practices of the “best” agencies and urges others to adopt similar practices.

SBS is an independent agency and represents fine companies for your Auto, Home, Farm, Business or Life Insurance.