Ad-Express and Daily Iowegian, Centerville, IA

CNHI/Southeast Iowa

October 23, 2012

Iowa third nationally on car v. deer crashes

OTTUMWA — It's probably no surprise to Iowa drivers that the state ranks near the top when it comes to the risk of deer collisions.

State Farm released its 2012 risk assessment on Tuesday. The listing puts Iowa in third nationally. Drivers here have a 1-in-72 risk of hitting a deer during the next year. Only West Virginia and South Dakota drivers have a higher risk.

The third-place ranking is actually a drop for Iowa, which ranked second in the 2010-2011 list. Iowa and South Dakota swapped places. West Virginia kept its crown. Each of the top five states saw the probability of a collision increase year-to-year.

Deer-car crashes rose 7.7 percent in the past year, reversing a three-year trend that saw decreasing numbers of collisions. There were an estimated 1.23 million collisions with deer between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012.

Nationally, the company estimates drivers have a 1-in-171 chance of hitting a deer in the next 12 months. Those are, it notes, about the same odds as being audited by the Internal Revenue Service.

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The Iowegian wants readers to think about the debate Rep. Larry Sheets talks about at the state capital centered on "accepting Medicaid expansion as defined by the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), or choosing to create an Iowa specific health care program. Those who prefer the Medicaid expansion believe the federal government will fulfill its commitments three years from now. Those opposing explain that the federal government is only capable of that by borrowing the money from the Chinese." So, the question this week is, "Should Iowa accept the federal government's Medicaid expansion or create a health care program specific to the state?"

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