It’s the time of the year when a lot of people pack up their car with family and hit the road to visit relatives. It’s also deer collision time, with many of those incidents ending with deadly results for drivers and passengers. That makes deer one of the most dangerous animals in North America, according to an article by Doyle Rice of USA TODAY.

The article tells the story of an extended family of 10 that was traveling from Chicago to New Jersey when their minivan hit a deer on the Indiana Toll Road. When they stopped or slowed, they were then hit by a semi going 65 mph. Three adults and four children died in the crash, while three others were hospitalized.

The article goes on to say that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are about 1 million car accidents with deer each year that kill 200 Americans, cause more than 10,000 personal injuries, and result in $1 billion in vehicle damage. West Virginia tops the list of states where a driver is most likely to run into a deer, State Farm reports. The other states in the top 10 are Iowa, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wyoming.

What does all this have to do with insurance? Just think what position you or your family would be in if you were involved in an incident like the one described above and you had no life, disability or long-term care insurance? You insure your car. Shouldn’t you insure your most valuable asset, your life?