When Animals Attack . . . or Snack on Your Car

From the May 2022 issue of Car and Driver.

Like many of us, deer have been having a hard time. According to State Farm, as of June 2021 in the U.S., insurance claims due to animal collisions were up 7.2 percent in a year, and two-thirds of those accidents involved Bambi's relatives (don't tell your kids). Drivers in West Virginia have the highest chance of hitting an animal, and those in Hawaii are least likely to. But don't book that flight just yet—wildlife is wild everywhere.

In Germany, It's the Marten

Also known as German weasels, martens love the taste of automotive wiring, engine hoses, silicone, and rubber so much that they're responsible for more than 200,000 insurance claims annually. It's a multimillion-dollar problem, with virtually no soft material safe from the unstoppable teeth of these heat-seeking varmints, which are drawn to the warmth of engine bays and undercarriages.

In Australia, It's the Kangaroo

According to an Australian insurance company's Roo Report, 90 percent of animal-impact claims Down Under are tied to these big-footed bounders. The winter months are the most dangerous for driving, with $20.7 million in damages doled out every year.

In Hawaii, It's Pigs

The island paradise has no native deer, kangaroos, or weasels. Unfortunately, invasive animals—both deer and mongooses—are still a problem. But it's feral pigs that do the most damage, with nearly 400 collisions reported between July 2020 and June 2021.

In Saudi Arabia, It's Camels

Half a million camels live within Saudi Arabia's borders, and wandering strays along unfenced roads are responsible for 97 percent of animal collisions in the country. When a speeding car cuts a camel's towering legs out from underneath it, these desert moose have the alarming propensity to flop onto the hood and through the windshield.