What Are the Chances of You Hitting an Animal in Colorado?

Any Colorado resident knows to watch for wildlife on the road — elk, deer, and other smaller critters could dash into traffic at any moment.

However, the odds of you actually hitting an animal in the Centennial State are surprisingly low, at least compared to other states.

RELATED: How Colorado Chooses Where to Put Animal Crossing Signs

According to TheFW.com, Stacker broke down State Farm's recent annual animal collision study to see which states experience the most animal-vehicle crashes.

Here's what they discovered about Colorado.

The odds of hitting an animal in Colorado

Stacker reports that Colorado is the 41st state where you're most likely to hit an animal on the road.

State Farm says the Centennial State's risk level is low for 2023, with drivers having a one in 204, or 0.49%, chance of colliding with an animal in their vehicles.

Which animals are you most likely to hit in Colorado?

The Colorado Department of Transportation's (CDOT) 2022 Roadkill Report shows drivers hit 451 deer and 91 elk last year.

Other commonly-hit Colorado animals in 2022 were raccoons, bears, coyotes, foxes, and pronghorns. A few accidents involved moose, bighorn sheep, and porcupines.

How Colorado compares to other states

The states with lower chances of hitting animals than Colorado include New Mexico, Connecticut, Washington, California, Alaska, Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, and Washington, D.C.

State Farm reports that West Virginia, Montana, South Dakota, Michigan, and Wisconsin have the highest risk for animal-vehicle collisions.

Other Colorado animals try their best to stay off the roads. Check out the most rarely-sighted animals in the Centennial State in the gallery below.