Will Hitting a Deer Cause My Car Insurance Rate To Go Up

Reader’s Question:

My friend was driving last week when she hit a deer and that caused damage on her vehicle. She has auto insurance policy on her car in North Carolina. I just want to know, will this affect her auto insurance rates when she makes that claim?

Rosanna

Gastonia, NC

Studies showed that deer-related accidents caused more than 1.5 million vehicular accidents every year. Of these accidents, 150 are considered fatal and more than 10,000 resulted to bodily injuries. The damages incurred from these accidents are estimated to be at $1 billion. It is also found out that 1 for every 100 drivers is likely to be involved in car accidents involving deer.

Damages incurred from this kind of accident will be covered by your comprehensive policy. This is also the same policy that will cover damages incurred if you have a broken window on your car. In general, car insurance companies considered deer collision as an act of god therefore you are not the at-fault party. Also, it will not be counted against your driving record. This is not deemed to be a chargeable accident and normally, there wouldn’t be an increase on your auto insurance rate.

However, every car insurance company has different guidelines. You must check with your auto insurance agent in North Carolina to make sure whether this will cause an increase on your car insurance premium or not. If it does, check our website for cheap auto insurance rates in your area.