I’ll never forget the night. I was only 6 or 7 years old and was sitting in the back seat of my parents' Oldsmobile as we made our way down a rural Alabama road. I remember my dad slamming on the breaks, my mom yelling out and a loud bang as we collided with a deer that had run across the road in front of us. Dad pulled over to the side of the road while asking us if we were all OK. We were. The front of the car was not. The headlight was busted and the front bumper was dented in, but the deer was nowhere to be found.

That night made a big impact on me. Quite frankly, it scared me to death. For months after, I nervously scoured the wood lines and roadsides for deer that might dart in front of our car at any moment. I am still very cautious while driving at night in rural areas. I know that we were very lucky that night, as many people have been seriously injured and even killed in deer-car collisions. Unfortunately, the number of collisions involving deer is increasing throughout the U.S.

According to a recent study conducted by State Farm, the number of deer-related collisions in the U.S. has increased by 7.7 percent over the last year with an estimate of 1.23 million collisions caused by the presence of deer occurring in the U.S. between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. 

For the sixth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a driver is most likely to hit a deer. Using claims data and state licensed driver counts from the Federal Highway Administration, State Farm calculates the chances of a West Virginia motorist striking a deer over the next 12 months at 1 in 40, compared with 1 in 48 the year before. South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania round out the top five states in which drivers are most likely to hit deer.  With a 1 in 6,801 chance, Hawaii ranks as the least likely state for deer-vehicle mishaps.  I was surprised to find out that in my home state of Alabama, I have a 1 in 146 chance of hitting a deer in a year’s time. I thought it’d be a little higher.

The study also states unsurprisingly that deer-car collisions are most likely to occur in November, with October and December showing an increase in collisions as well.

Wonder what the odds are in your state for hitting a deer? Check out this map to find out.

So, have you ever hit a deer with your car? How bad was the damage?

Queens residents are picking up their bows and guns, but they’re not hunting. Instead they’re defending themselves and their property against lawless trespassers and looters. According to the New York Daily News, ever since Hurricane Sandy tore up the Queen’s peninsula, known as the Rockaways, residents have had to arm themselves with guns, booby traps, baseball bats and even hunting bows and arrows to ward off looters who are taking advantage of the chaos and darkness.

Apparently these criminals are knocking on doors in the middle of the night while pretending to be workers with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), while the real workers are nowhere to be found. Cops are just as rare in the area, which many fear will descend into anarchy if help doesn’t arrive soon.

Resident Danielle Harris says her family has booby trapped their front door and they keep a baseball bat beside their bed. A local surfer says he keeps knives, a machete and bow and arrow ready at all times.

Gunshots are ringing out all too often as people are taking matters into their own hands.

LIPA, which supplies power to the entire peninsula, inspected the area Thursday, but state senators claim the utility is dragging its feet claiming LIPA is serving the richer areas of Long Island and ignoring the Rockaways.

So, do any of you have family or friends living in the Rockaway areas or any of the other storm-damaged areas along the East Coast?