When it comes to collisions involving deer, Pennsylvania roadways are the most dangerous in the nation, according to a report released by State Farm Insurance.

Dave Phillips, State Farm Insurance public affairs specialist, said Pennsylvania ranks No. 1 most likely because of the state's high deer population.

The report hits home -- two graduate students died Friday after a collision that one victim's father said was caused by a deer.

The animal caused Trista Martin (graduate-material science and engineering) and Kristy Murray (graduate-material science) to swerve into opposing traffic, Murray's father, Stephen Murray, Sr., said.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Web site

reported that there are about 1.5 million national deer-related crashes every year.

Mike Cotter, PennDOT District 4 safety press officer, said the most reported deer-related car crashes come during the fall.

"[The] highest numbers are in November and December," Cotter said. "Food is getting scarce, and the deer begin to move closer to populated areas."

From 1999 through 2005, 51 people died in deer-related car crashes in Pennsylvania and more than 17,000 reportable deer-related crashes occurred during that same time period.

Cotter said those numbers can be deceiving, as only crashes that are reported to state police are included in PennDOT's statistics.

"There are definitely more," Cotter said.

He said the highest reported counties in Pennsylvania were Allegheny County, with 136 crashes, Chester County, with 123 crashes, and Montgomery County, with 111 crashes and one fatality.

The top 10 ranked deer collision states account for 51 percent of all deer collision claims filed by State Farm policyholders, according to State Farm data.