Michigan’s Worst County for Car/Deer Crashes in 2023
Hyper-awareness. That's the term I used with my kids when they were learning to drive in Jackson County, one of Michigan's hotbeds for car/deer accidents. With an estimated herd of 2 million strong and growing, these collisions will only increase if something isn't done to keep these walking insurance claims at bay and off our hoods.
Michigan's Deer Population is a Problem for Motorists
Each year, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) releases data through MichiganTrafficCrashFacts.org that sums up the previous year's accidents. Using this tool, we were able to break down car/deer accidents by county in Michigan to determine which you're most likely to encounter a deer on the road.
How big of a problem is Michigan's growing deer herd? Well, in 2023, there were a total of 287,953 car accidents in Michigan. Of those, 58,806 of them involved a deer. That's a little more than 20% of accidents in our state, a startling number when you consider that the 2023 Michigan deer harvest was down significantly from 2022's hunting season numbers.
Michigan's Most Dangerous County For Car/Deer Collisions
If you want to do your best to avoid the county with the most car/deer collisions, then I'd advise staying out of Kent. Of the 18,767 total traffic accidents in 2023, 2,171, or 11%, involved our four-legged forest friends.
RELATED:
Oakland, Genessee, Alegan, and Jackson round out the top 5 Michigan counties that experienced a high volume of deer-related traffic crashes. Let's take a county-by-county look at the number in each of Michigan's 83 counties.
Michigan's 2023 Car / Deer Accidents By County
Gallery Credit: Scott Clow
Michigan's 2023 Final Whitetail Deer Harvest vs 2022 Harvest
Gallery Credit: Scott Clow
Ranking 50 United States by Deer Population
Gallery Credit: Scott Clow