Warmer weather brings more motorcyclists to Colorado Springs roads, but it also brings an increase in fatal crashes.The Colorado Springs Police Department tracked 53 total traffic deaths last year, and 21 of them were motorcycli sts. The data shows a spike in deaths during the warmer months, with four motorcycle deaths in May, five in June, and four in July.CSPD gave News5 data that says there was zero motorcycle fatalities in January, February, November, and December. One in March, two in April, four in May, five in June, and four in July, three in August, one in September, and one in October."Motorcycle fatalities were almost half, if not half of all fatalities that we were tracking through the summer months," Ira Cronin said.Cronin is talking about the month of June last year. At that point, there were 23 fatalities total, 12 of which were motorcyclist deaths.Cronin is the public relations manager for the Colorado Springs Police Department."The problem with motorcycles is they just don't afford riders as much protection physically as a vehicle, and that's kind of by design," Cronin said.Spence Alger knows the dangers firsthand. He was riding his motorcycle one July night in 2023 when a car hit him. "My spine had pretty much completely separated," Alger said.Despite the risks, the winter months did not stop him from riding."I rode in 20 degrees one time. It was awful, and I had to go on the highway and I don't think I went over 60 and the feels like temperature with that wind was like negative something," Alger said. "Right when I got into motorcycling, I would have never told myself don't ride and even if I did, I wouldn't have listened," Alger said.Alger says the summer months are the best times to ride, but it is also a time for drivers to pay attention."Next time you're on your way home and it's a warm day, count how many motorcycles you see," Alger said.While it is not summer yet and riders may be out this week, Alger says current road conditions could be less than ideal for motorcyclists."There's grime all over the roads, and being on two wheels, losing traction doesn't just mean you skid a little bit, it means you just flip out and it doesn't always happen that way, but I've seen plenty of accidents happen like that and it isn't pretty," Alger said._______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less