The post-Labor Day death toll and number of accidents on the state’s roads are annually magnified by encounters with the state’s large population of white tail deer.

According to new claims data from State Farm, the odds drivers will hit a deer in South Carolina in the coming year are one in 95, almost twice the national average of one in 169.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources estimates deer numbers are lower in South Carolina compared to peak levels in the late 1990s.

And data collected by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety also indicates deer-vehicle collisions have declined over the past 25 years.

In 2014, the SCDPS reported 2,300 deer-vehicle collisions, similar to figures from the last few years.

Still there is the reality of deer being naturally abundant in the eastern United States, particularly in the Southeast. The risk of collisions is a reality that every driver must face.

Crashes can be deadly, and they for certain are costly. State Farm estimates the average deer strike claim is $4,135, up 6 percent from 2014 ($3,888).

For those in The T&D Region, one of the leading places in the state for deer hunting and trophy deer, it is particularly important to be aware of the risk from October-December.

You will see more deer on the roads now. Deer season runs from August through December and there’s a dramatic increase in the movement of the herd during the months when the animals are mating and migrating.

Studies show that about 45 percent of deer-vehicle collisions occur in roughly a 60-day period that corresponds with the breeding season. In South Carolina, “rut” is generally during the months of October and November.

Echoing the advice from State Farm: With an increase in the likelihood of vehicle/deer collisions, it’s important that drivers are practicing safe driving habits and watching out for animals on the road. And wearing your seat belt can be difference between being OK or sustaining severe injury in the event of a deer-vehicle encounter.