October is here, and that means it’s time for drivers to be alert.

This month, along with November and December, are the peak months for motorists to collide with animals, particularly deer.

And of all 50 states, Pennsylvania has the highest number of claims filed annually for animal collisions, according to a just-released report from State Farm Insurance.

All in all, you have 1-in-61 odds of hitting an animal when you are traveling on the roads of Pennsylvania, according to the report. It’s better than the 1-in-40 odds you have in West Virginia, but a far cry from the 1-in-11 million odds you have of dying in a plane crash.

The best advice at this time of year is be on the lookout when driving, especially in rural areas and between dusk and dawn, don’t speed, don’t be distracted by your phone, be alert for herds of deer and don’t swerve if you can’t avoid striking a deer or some other animal.

Being watchful and taking it easy on the gas pedal might make all the difference between getting somewhere uneventfully and having to call your insurance agent.

Hitting the ceiling for life expectancy

In 1924, the life expectancy was age 58 for the average man in the United States and age 61 for a woman.

That now seems awfully young, but it was in the age before the dangers of smoking and alcohol overconsumption were fully understood, diets weren’t as good, and treatments for things like cancer or heart disease were nowhere close to being as sophisticated as they are now.

Life expectancy has increased dramatically over the last 100 years, to the point where some people had hoped it would just keep on expanding – imagine starting a new career at 70 because you are only at the halfway point of your life.

However, a new study from researchers published in the journal Nature Aging suggests we might be hitting the ceiling of the human lifespan. Despite advances in medical research and technology, the study found that lifespans overall are not advancing much more.

S. Jay Olshansky, a researcher at the University of Illinois-Chicago, told the Associated Press, “We’re squeezing less and less life out of these life-extending technologies. And the reason is (that) aging gets in the way.”

The AP story notes that this finding should make us think about retirement and how much money we should stash away for it. It’s also a reminder that, yes, our time here is limited and it’s best to make good use of that time.

October is National Bullying Awareness Month

Bullying has been around since … well, probably as long as humans have walked the Earth, but there is thankfully a much greater understanding of the harmful effects it can have.

Long dismissed as a rite of passage that some young people just had to endure, bullying has been shown to cause tangible damage to the self-esteem of children – and, yes, adults – who are on the receiving end of it.

It can lead to anxiety and depression, avoidance of school and, in the worst cases, physical harm.

October is National Bullying Awareness Month, and it’s designed to remind teachers, school administrators and leaders of other types of organizations to be on the lookout for bullying and create environments where people feel supported.

We may never be fully rid of bullying, but we can take some solace that it is not shrugged off in the way it once was.