With the archery deer hunting season in full gear, the upcoming antlerless muzzleloader season (Oct. 17-24), the Special Firearms season for junior and senior hunters, mentored youth, disabled and active-duty military (Oct. 22-24), and the rut kicking in around the end of the month, deer are going to be running across roads to flee hunter traffic.

As such, collisions with deer will be extremely high in the next two months. Bob Robb of Grand View Outdoors says that in State Farm Insurance studies, the odds drivers will have a claim from hitting a deer is one out of 169 nationwide.

State Farm, he says, showed that an estimated 1.25 million claims happened in the past year resulting from these collisions. There’s no silver bullet to keep deer or bear off highways and roads. Some drivers insist that deer whistles work, though the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says no scientific evidence supports that claim. Studies and field tests also show that roadside reflectors do reduce crash frequency somewhat, but as of now, there’s no foolproof method to keep animals off our roads.

And did you know, Pennsylvania ranks second in the list of top twenty states where motorists are likely to collide with deer. In 2014 there were 123,941 deer killed by vehicle for a 1 in 71 chance. Pennsylvania carries a 1.41 percent likelihood of deer versus car, and is only beaten by West Virginia, which comes in at 2.56 percent likelihood.

Other high deer collision states are: Michigan, 74,709, for a 1 in 94; New York, 72,628, for a 1 in 154; North Carolina, 64,815, for a 1 in 103; neighboring Ohio, 63,138, for 1 in 127; and Texas at 48,648, for a 1 in 314. Would you believe New Jersey is only at 26,860, for a 1 in 225, which is surprising if you’ve ever traveled I-78 from Pennsylvania to Jersey were there always seems to be deceased deer along the Interstate.

In case you’re interested, the lowest states are: Hawaii, 89 for a 1 in 10,281; District of Columbia, 546 for 1 in 734 and, surprisingly, Alaska, 1,100 at 1 in 479.

At this point you may wonder how to avoid hitting a deer or bear that will smash your new car or truck. Well State Farm suggest these guidelines:

* Stay Alert: Pay attention to deer crossing signs. Scan down the road and off to each side. Be especially watchful in areas near woods and water. If you see one deer, there are probably several others nearby.

* Be especially vigilant during peak season. Though collisions can happen at any time of year, fall is peak as previously mentioned.

* Use headlights smartly. At night, use high beams when possible to illuminate the road edges. If you see a deer far ahead, flick the brights on and off multiple times. Deer tend to fixate on headlights Ð it mesmerizes them it seems Ð so flashing them may cause the animal to run off.

* Watch out during dinner times. Pay particular attention during dawn and dusk when deer are usually venturing out to eat.

* Brake as necessary. If you think you have time to avoid hitting the animal, reduce speed, tap the brakes to warn any drivers behind you and sound your horn. If there’s no vehicle behind you, brake hard.

* Don’t Swerve. If a collision seems inevitable, don’t swerve to avoid the animal as you may lose control of the vehicle. If you do have a collision, notify police and your insurance company. And always wear your seat belts.