DOT: May is deadliest month on Wisconsin roads so far this year

May has been the deadliest month on Wisconsin roads this year with 54 traffic fatalities, according to a release from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

There were six more deaths last month than in May 2014 and five more than the five-year average for the month of May, officials said. The deadliest month of May was in 1968 when 123 people died on Wisconsin roads. The safest was in 2013 when 32 people died.

As of May 31, 207 people have died in Wisconsin traffic crashes this year, including 20 motorcycle drivers, two motorcycle passengers, 20 pedestrians and two bicyclists, according to the release.

“The motorcycle riding season will be in full swing in coming weeks,” David Pabst, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety, said in the release. “To prevent crashes, drivers must share the road and watch for motorcycles especially at intersections and while making turns or lane changes.”