09/27/2026
🦌 Deer and cars meet on highways across the country: about 1.1 million deer-related insurance claims a year in the U.S. I wanted to see what that looks like on one road I know well.
So I built an interactive map of I-81 from the Virginia line to Carlisle, PA: 90 miles through West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. My estimate is about 700 deer killed a year on that stretch alone, one every 13 hours, and about 4 a day in November.
Wildlife crossings, overpasses and underpasses with fencing that guide animals safely over or under the road, cut these crashes by 80–97% where they've been built. Wherever you live, you probably have a stretch of road like this.
📍 If you drive I-81 around Martinsburg, Hagerstown, Chambersburg or Carlisle, I need your help:
✅ Report struck deer you see on the map (from a safe spot, never while driving)
✅ Tell me in the comments which stretch you think is the worst
✅ Share this with someone who drives it every day
Not local? Tell me where the worst stretch for deer is near you. 👇
About 700 deer a year on 90 miles of I-81 through WV, MD and PA. Explore the map mile by mile.
