With the onset of autumn comes the beginning of hunting season, which means drivers in rural areas, and hunters especially, will have an increased likelihood of a collision where one of the parties is not another car or truck, but an animal.
It's amusing if it's never happened to you, and you may not realize just how common such collisions are, but there are actually millions of animal-related auto accidents every year, and the animals involved include cows, deer, elk, and bison, as well as the most common: deer.
Such accidents total billions of dollar in vehicle damage and human injury – in many cases, cars involved in crashes with large animals are "totaled" – declared a total loss.
Why mention this? Because the beginning of autumn is also a good time of year to review your auto insurance policy and check to see what it actually covers. Your collision coverage covers an accident with another car, but collisions with animals are categorized differently by insurance companies. Such crashes are in the same class of accidents as having a tree fall on your car while it's parked.
What can you do? Review your insurance policy. If you commonly drive in a location where deer (or stray cows) are plentiful, and you don't have comprehensive coverage (those whose cars are not financed, or who drive older cars, may not have it) consider adding it to your policy.
The cost of comprehensive insurance is small when compared to the cost of replacing your car.
