Although the number of deer hit on state highways has increased, Centre County officials said the frequency of deer-related car crashes has changed little since 2002.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (PennDOT) reported 2,079 deer-vehicle collisions in 1991, compared to 2,532 in 2001. This is nearly a 22 percent increase over a 10-year period.

Marla Fannin, community relations coordinator for PennDOT's District 2, which covers Centre County, said PennDOT does not have official numbers available for previous years.

Since Jan. 1, however, PennDOT maintenance workers have removed a total of 140 dead deer from Centre County shoulders and roadways, Fannin said.

Because many drivers never report hitting the animals, the number of deer-related car crashes in any given year is only an estimate, she said.

State College Police Department Sgt. John Wilson said accidents happen frequently, especially in outlying areas of State College where deer tend to inhabit since they are areas with a lower human population. However, the number of deer-related incidents does not seem different this year than last, he said. Beverly Kubin, an associate at David Byron Nationwide Insurance, 1535 N. Atherton St., said the number of deer-related auto insurance claims filed so far this year has been fairly average.

"I'd say between five to 10 at most," she said.

John Lavanish, owner of Lava Auto Body, 3532 W. College Ave., said he has made an average number of repairs because of deer-related incidents so far this year. The number of repairs stays about the same every year, he said.

Headlight, bumper, grille and fender damage account for about two-thirds of all resulting damage. On average, repairs cost $2,500, he said.

Ron Stout, supervisor of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's North-central regional office, said biologists believe the deer population is increasing slightly. Not enough deer are being removed from the population, which is widespread in Centre County.

"Deer are very prolific -- their population increases about 30 percent every year," he said. "Any place you go in Centre County you can encounter a deer."

To minimize potential risks, drivers need to be watchful and need to slow down, but "unfortunately, people aren't going to do that," Stout said.

Wilson said single-car accidents in which the animal is injured or killed and there is damage to the vehicle are the most common deer-related incident. Multiple-car accidents can also occur if the driver swerves to miss the deer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.