Turk’s recently completed a Hyundai Elantra Collision Repair, that was necessary due to a deer hit that caused damage to the driver’s side of the car. According to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA), there are approximately 1.5 million deer related car accidents annually and cause over one billion dollars in vehicle damage.
Thankfully nobody was injured and this Hyundai Elantra Collision Repair was limited to repairing the exterior of the car.
With regards to deer Vs car related accidents, while the vehicle can be repaired, there are some sobering statistics published indicating there are around 175-200 fatalities every year and 10,000 injuries. The Midwest is where the majority of these collisions occur. Most of these deer Vs car accidents occur between October and December, between 6 pm – 9 pm, however deer accidents can happen any time of the year, at any time of the day or night. Some common safety tips for avoiding deer accidents or minimizing the damage caused by such a collision can be found at the Westbend Insurance website and include driving cautiously in areas known to have heavy deer traffic, (designated by Deer Warning signs), not swerving to avoid the deer and using your high beam headlights.
The Hyundai Elantra is a relatively safe car, scoring a 5 star Overall NHTSA safety rating and considered a “Top Safety Pick” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Hyundai Elantra is considered a compact car and comparable cars include the Toyota Corrolla, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, Chevy Cruze, Ford Focus and the Mazda 3. When it comes to deer hits and any difference between being in a small vehicle Vs a large vehicle during a deer accident, physics trump safety ratings. Safety tests and reviews are rated based on similar vehicles, so theoretically larger, heavier vehicles typically are considered “safer” in crashes. Animal accidents are a bit unpredictable however, and deer accidents in particular have mixed results. Within the collision industry it is commonplace to see small cars such as this Elantra having relatively minimal damage, while other times large SUV’s sustain very heavy damage with high repair costs.
For more information on the Hyundai Elantra, visit the Official Hyundai Elantra web page.
If your vehicle needs auto body repairs, contact Turk’s Collision Repair in Minooka.