You hit a deer on the highway or a rock cracks your windshield. Later, your insurer asks where it happened.

Knowing the highway is a start. Knowing the mile marker gives you a more specific answer.

What does the claim form ask?

Your insurer may ask when and where the damage happened. It may also ask for photos or a police report. Check with your insurer about what your claim needs.

Police crash reports also record location. NHTSA publishes a voluntary crash-reporting guideline called the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria. In its 2017 fifth edition, the Crash Location element, C6, calls for the exact location of the first harmful event. The location can be recorded with latitude and longitude or a linear reference, such as a route and milepost.

Source: NHTSA, Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria, 5th edition (2017), DOT HS 812 433

Your claim form and a police report may ask for the same event in different ways. A route, direction and mile marker give both records a clear place to point to.

Why isn't "near town" enough?

Suppose you write "Highway 2 near Leavenworth" on your claim. That description covers many miles of road. It does not say which part of the highway you were on.

Now compare that with "US-2 eastbound, mile marker 99." The route identifies the highway. Eastbound identifies the direction. Mile marker 99 narrows it to a short stretch of that route.

That matters when you compare your description with a police report. It can also help you find a nearby DOT camera or road report, if one exists.

Why do deer hits and rock chips get harder to place later?

Not every claim starts on the side of the road. You may notice a rock chip and deal with the form days later. You may hit a deer, get home and only then sit down to fill out the details. By then the exact stretch of highway is harder to remember.

State Farm estimated more than 1.6 million animal-collision claims in the United States from July 2025 through June 2026. The national odds were 1 in 145. West Virginia had the highest odds at 1 in 46. Montana followed at 1 in 54, then Wisconsin at 1 in 62, Pennsylvania at 1 in 64 and Michigan at 1 in 68.

Source: Carrier Management, State Farm animal-collision data (Sept. 2026)

"Somewhere after Leavenworth" may be all you remember days later. A written mile marker is easier to check than a guess about the nearest town.

What should you write down at the scene?

If you can do so safely, record these before you leave.

  • The highway or route number
  • Your direction of travel
  • The nearest mile marker
  • The time

Write it as one line, like "US-2 eastbound, mile marker 99, 6:40 PM." If you can safely photograph the nearest mile marker sign, take the photo. Never walk into traffic to reach a sign.

If you can't see a sign, an app that matches your GPS to DOT mile marker data can give you the nearest one. MileCheck works offline in all 50 states and shows your position between markers to a tenth of a mile.

If you broke down instead, see what to tell 911 when you break down on the highway. For why the marker still matters next to GPS, see mile markers vs. GPS.

Writing down the route and mile marker at the scene makes the location easier to describe later.