Bloomington, Ill., October 17, 2006 – Cars colliding with deeron America's roads continues to be a dangerous and costly problem.An estimated 10,000 more collisions occurred this year. To makematters worse for drivers, collision repair costs are also on therise.

The most recent State Farm claims data shows that deer-relatedvehicle collisions have risen almost 6 percent from the last deerseason. State Farm policy holders were involved in 192,877deer-related collisions compared to 182,458 from the previous year,based on estimated submitted claims. From July 1, 2005 through June30, 2006 average property damage cost was $2800, up $300 from theprevious year.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety thereare an estimated 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions annually inthe United States, causing more than 150 fatalities and $1.1billion in property damage.

These collisions become more frequent during the fall and winterdue to the deer migration and mating season. This season usuallyoccurs from October through December. Coupled with the facts thatdeer populations are growing and deer habitat is being displaced byurban sprawl makes for a deadly combination for both deer andmotorists.

Certain states experience more collisions with deer than others.According to State Farm's annual claim statistics, the states withthe highest number of accidents involving deer between July 1, 2005and June 30, 2006 were:

Pennsylvania

Michigan

Illinois

Ohio

Georgia

Virginia

Minnesota

Texas

Indiana

South Carolina

The top ten ranked deer collision states account for 51 percentof all deer collision claims filed by State Farm policy holders.Drivers in these states, and all others, can avoid becominginvolved in one of these costly and potentially deadly deer-vehiclecollisions that take place across the United States each year bytaking a number of precautions.

There are a number of precautions motorists can take to helpprevent accidents with deer. Drivers wishing to avoid vehicle-deercollisions should:

Be aware of posted deer crossing signs. These signs are placedin known active deer crossing areas.

Be aware that deer are most active during the evening, between 6and 9 p.m.

At night, use high-beam headlamps as much as possible toilluminate the sides of the road where deer can linger.

Be aware that deer often move in packs – if you see one deer,there is a good chance several more are just a few yardsbehind.

Do not rely on car-mounted “deer whistles.” Studies have showndeer are not affected by this deterrence method.

If a collision with a deer seems inevitable, it may be best notto swerve. The risk of personal injury is greatly increased byswerving, which can place you in the path of oncoming vehicles ormay cause you to lose control of your vehicle.

“While research has revealed several innovative ways to deterdeer from entering the roadways and alerting drivers to the dangersof deer in the area, there will always remain a constant danger ofdeer-vehicle collisions,” said Melissa Miles, senior researchanalyst for State Farm. “Undoubtedly, the best way to avoiddeer-vehicle collisions is through attentive driving behavior.”

These simple steps can help motorists avoid becoming involved indeer-vehicle collisions. For more automotive safety tips andinformation about State Farm, visit the News and Events Center atwww.statefarm.com.

About State Farm

State Farm(R) insures more cars than any other insurer in NorthAmerica and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000agents and 68,000 employees serve over 74 million auto, fire, lifeand health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than1.8 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile InsuranceCompany is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. StateFarm is ranked No.22 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies.For more information, please visit statefarm.com(R) or in Canadastatefarm.ca(R).