A crash scene on Highway 23 (Photo: KFIZ)
The state Department of Transportation says 51 people died in traffic-related crashes last month.
Preliminary numbers from the state Department of Transportation show it was the fourth safest month of June in the state since World War II. There were seven more people killed than the same month last year, and two fewer than the five-year average.
The number of traffic deaths so far this year is about nine-percent higher than it was during the same period in 2015. The DOT says 273 people have been killed in crashes this year, which includes the deaths of 28 motorcycle riders and their passengers and 24 pedestrians.
Early numbers from this month also show the Fourth of July holiday weekend was a deadly one in the state, with 10 people killed in traffic crashes between July first and fourth.