Nebraska Officials, State Farm Differ on Deer Crash Stats

Nebraska highway safety officials disagree with a report released by State Farm Insurance Company that says traffic accidents involving deer are up in that state.

State Farm has released a report that says Nebraska has seen the nation’s biggest percentage jump in deer collisions over the last five years. The report says nearly 12,300 motorists hit a deer in Nebraska between July 1, 2008, and June 30 – a 54 percent increase from 2004.

But Fred Zwonechek with the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety says the report is “way off the mark.”

He says state figures show that in 2008, Nebraska motorists reported 3,065 deer collisions – a drop of about 10 percent over five years.

State Farm, which has issued the report for about six years, stands by its numbers.

Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, www.journalstar.com