Wife hit a deer - 2016 CX-5

[MikeM.]

If that were true, insurance companies would recommend them and provide a deer whistle discount.

Mike, Perhaps most vehicles are used where deer do not roam so companies do not want to give a discount for a no risk situation.

Most vehicles are used where deer DO roam. You obviously haven't spent much time in New York, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana etc. These are very populous states with numerous highways loaded with deer. In fact, the average motorist in the US has a 1 in 169 chance of hitting a deer each and every year. This costs insurance companies billions of dollars every year. Insurance companies take this kind of money very seriously. That they don't give deer whistle discounts (or even recommend deer whistles) to encourage safer behavior of their insured speaks loud and clear to the lack of effectiveness of deer whistles.

Please provide a reference for where "State Farm recommends against deer whistle."

Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles

https://www.statefarm.com/about-us/newsroom/2015/09/14/deer-collision-data

The whistle is to improve awareness. At less than $5 on Amazon, the expense is not a big deal.

but there is not a shred of evidence that deer whistles "improves the awareness" of deer. And that deer whistle will cost you a lot more than $5 if it causes a deer to spook in front of your vehicle as your cruising along at 70 mph.

Your references are opinion and single examples. The research article is 13 years old.

The research I linked to that showed deer whistles are, at best, ineffective is 13 years old? So what?

Maybe cigarettes are not harmful anymore since all the research is over 13 years ago? Maybe in the last 13 years deer have evolved to avoid deer whistles? Get real. It sounds like you are grasping at straws.

 

[GAXIBM]

Mike, in your reference to State Farm you stated "State Farm recommends against deer whistle". The website states "Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles" after it lists some good driving suggestions so I think they are trying to tell the reader not to give up good driving habits and not pay attention just because they have a deer alert whistle. Here is reference text so other readers can decide for themselves.

•Use extra caution in known deer zones
•Always wear your seatbelt
•At night, when there is no oncoming traffic, use high beams
•Avoid swerving when you see a deer
•Scan the road for deer and other danger signs
•Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles

 

[MikeM.]

Mike, in your reference to State Farm you stated "State Farm recommends against deer whistle". The website states "Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles" after it lists some good driving suggestions so I think they are trying to tell the reader not to give up good driving habits and not pay attention just because they have a deer alert whistle. Here is reference text so other readers can decide for themselves.

I see the point you're trying to make but it is largely semantics. Hopefully you noticed that State Farm did not recommend deer whistles. And if they helped, even a little bit, you can bet State Farm would try to get all their insured customers equipped with deer whistles. Instead they clearly tell you not to rely on them.

You do the math. With each deer strike claim averaging $4135 and each driver having a 1/169 chance each and every year of striking a deer, wouldn't it make good business sense to make sure every insured customer had a $5 deer whistle installed? Yes, it would make great sense if deer whistles helped, even a wee bit.


With $6 Billion dollars in deer strike damages every year, if a deer whistles could reduce the chances of a strike by just 1%, the industry would save $60 million dollars each and every year. If deer whistles actually worked (even a teeny bit) the insurance industry would be lobbying the lawmakers in DC to require all new cars have deer whistles incorporated in the grill. They would be shouting it from the mountaintops! But no, we hear "Don't depend on deer whistles".

I don't know what kind of message you think that sends but, to me, it's clear that the insurance industry knows that deer whistles don't help, not even a little bit.

 

[Benior]

I agree with MikeM. If there was evidence that deer whistles worked, insurance companies would probably be recommending them and giving discounts for having them.

FWIW, the various fancy safety features on my CX-5 AWD GT with Tech Package reduce my insurance by $94 per year. Having ABS on my motorcycle saves me $20 per year (most studies find fatality reductions of at least 30% for ABS equipped motorcycles).

 

[adgjqetuo]

I took it to a good shop and the quote came back at $1,450 - I found out my insurance doesn't penalize for comprehensive claims and since deer hair was still visible in the grille cracks it was able to be classified as such.

The repair place worked directly with my insurance so I didn't have to go through the whole adjuster process - once I opened the claim over the phone they sent an electronic approval for work to start instantly.

As a matter of fact, I had the car back before the initial paperwork from the insurance claim came to me in the mail - the body shop had it completed in 2 days.

They used all OEM parts and did a great job matching the paint - you can't even tell. They replaced the whole bumper, the grille, emblem, emblem bracket and a radiator support bracket that snapped behind the bumper.


Here's hoping we have no more issues...2 is enough for one year.

 

[paris1]

Comprehensive is a great thing when it works like it does in Calif and apparently NJ! Had the windshield on my wife's 2013 BMW Z4 replaced a few months after we bought it used last year. When we bought it we didn't realize how pitted the glass was from having spent some time on AZ freeways. When I called my insurer they asked me for a "date and location of loss" and I just made something up on the spot and we were off and running. A week later the car had a brand new OEM windshield installed in my garage and we were only out $100 with no premium penalty. Can't beat it!

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

The messed up thing about deer strikes is depending on the damage location you may be assessed as to whether the deer was at fault, or the driver was lol.

 

[adgjqetuo]

Comprehensive is a great thing when it works like it does in Calif and apparently NJ! Had the windshield on my wife's 2013 BMW Z4 replaced a few months after we bought it used last year. When we bought it we didn't realize how pitted the glass was from having spent some time on AZ freeways. When I called my insurer they asked me for a "date and location of loss" and I just made something up on the spot and we were off and running. A week later the car had a brand new OEM windshield installed in my garage and we were only out $100 with no premium penalty. Can't beat it!

Mine wasn't as forgiving - we still had a $1,000 deductible.

I'm just glad they won't be raising our yearly premium. They apparently forgive 1 comprehensive claim every 3 years per vehicle. Also, if the payout is < $500 they don't even look at it - and in my case the payout was only $450 so it doesn't count as a strike.

The gay thing about deer strikes is depending on the damage location you may be assessed as t wether the deer was at fault, or the driver was lol

Yeah, that's a sore topic with my wife

 

[MikeM.]

Comprehensive is a great thing when it works like it does in Calif and apparently NJ! Had the windshield on my wife's 2013 BMW Z4 replaced a few months after we bought it used last year. When we bought it we didn't realize how pitted the glass was from having spent some time on AZ freeways. When I called my insurer they asked me for a "date and location of loss" and I just made something up on the spot and we were off and running. A week later the car had a brand new OEM windshield installed in my garage and we were only out $100 with no premium penalty. Can't beat it!

That sounds like insurance fraud.

But it sounds like you got the rest of us to pay for your wife's windshield pits.

 

[piotrek91]

That sounds like insurance fraud.

But it sounds like you got the rest of us to pay for your wife's windshield pits.

I agree. Definitely sounds like insurance fraud.