WATERLOO - With another deer season approaching, motorists are urged to minimize risks of damage and injury.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, there are up to 500,000 deer roaming Iowa.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are about 1.5 million car accidents nationally with deer each year that result in more than $1 billion in vehicle damage, about 150 human fatalities and more than 10,000 injuries.

The numbers compiled by the Insurance Information Institute of Washington, D.C., are higher, at $3.6 billion in total damage, plus more than $1 billion in indirect damage and medical costs.

The Traffic Safety Administration says those numbers are probably higher because its figures for deer accidents rely on inconsistent state reporting. There is no nationwide standard for reporting deer accidents.

The Iowa Insurance Institute in Des Moines is updating its figures on deer accidents, but the numbers likely will be consistent with its last count five years ago, Executive Director Fred Haskins said.

"We were surprised at how high the physical damage component was - about $40 million a year," Haskins said. "There's also some crop damage we're trying to run down."

The Iowa Department of Public Safety estimates the average loss per crash at $1,700 for a total of $13 million in total vehicle damage in Iowa each year.

Collateral costs include medical payments, claims not covered by insurance and deductible payouts, said Carolyn Gorman, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute, in Washington, D.C.

The costs are passed on to motorists across the state, Haskins said.

"It's a real economic loss to the state and has to be paid for somehow through insurance premiums," he said. "Some can involve a lot of damage . These repairs can run thousands of dollars, not to mention that these incidents scare people and, in some cases, hurt them."

Motorists instinctively try to swerve their vehicles to avoid hitting a deer, Haskins said.

Instinct, in this case, is wrong, he said.

A motorist maneuvering to avoid a deer can lose control of a vehicle, leading to more serious problems.

"If people would just wear their seat belts, they'd stand a much better chance of surviving a collision with a deer," Gorman said. "A study of 150 accident reports involving animals in 2005 by the Institute for Highway Safety found 60 percent of people killed were not wearing seat belts."

Check your policy

Steve Sinnott of the Sinnott Agency in Waterloo, said deer accident claims tend to peak at this time of year, and many policyholders aren't aware they may not be covered.

"We run across it all too often," he said. Many people are under the assumption that it's a collision loss, which it is not. This is a comprehensive claim. … People with, quote, full-coverage, will have coverage for a deer claim."

Older vehicles only covered for liability won't be covered, Sinnott said.

Purchasing the right insurance coverage is paramount, Sinnott said. Deductibles can vary, too, he added.

Policyholders should check with their agent or the declarations page of their policy to see if they have that coverage, Alger said.

Motorists also need to be aware that dawn and dusk are dangerous times, where deer movement is concerned.

"The indication of eyeballs you see before you see the deer is something to look for," he said. "If you see one deer, always keep in mind, you'll probably see another."

Contact Jim Offner at (319) 291-1598 or jim.offner@wcfcourier.com.