A jump in motorcycle accidents last year helped fuel an increase in fatalities on Wisconsin roadways.
The state Department of Transportation says 111 people were killed in motorcycle accidents in 2007, up nearly 20-percent from 2006. Dennis Hughes, with the State Patrol's Bureau of Transportation Safety, says there's been an increase in the number of motorcycles registered and on the roads in Wisconsin, which likely contributed to the higher number of fatal crashes.
Overall, Hughes says fatal crashes in Wisconsin were up for 2007. Preliminary numbers show 739 people were killed in 657 crashes. That's up from 712 people killed in 659 crashes in 2006, but still below the state's five year average.
Hughes says fatal crashes dropped off towards the end of the year, and they're hopeful that will continue into 2008. He says the state plans to continue safety enforcement and education efforts into the new year.