Wisconsin drivers experienced the fewest traffic fatalities for any month of March on the books last month, with less than half as many as last March, the Department of Transportation announced Thursday.

Twenty-seven people died in 26 crashes during the month, compared to 58 fatalities on the road in March 2007.

Winter weather conditions reduced the speed and volume of traffic during the month in which snowfall outstripped yearly records, according to Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs for the Wisconsin State Patrol Bureau of Transportation Safety.

“Bad weather tends to make people stay home or drive more cautiously if they do travel,” Hughes said.

Traffic deaths from January to the end of March were down by 45 from the five-year average as well. A total of 108 people have died in crashes so far this year.

Warmer weather will bring streets free of ice and snow, but that doesn’t necessarily mean fewer accidents, according to Hughes.

“In coming months, however, driving will be even more dangerous, as warmer weather leads to more vehicles at higher speeds on our roads,” Hughes said. “Drivers will need to be prepared for quickly changing traffic conditions, especially when the road construction season begins.”

Hughes also urged vigilance in watching for bicycles, motorcycles and pedestrians on the roadways.

Sunnier skies will also bring the University of Wisconsin’s high population of moped riders back out to the streets.

UW Police Department Sgt. Ruth Ewing said moped riders, too, should be careful to yield to the high numbers of pedestrians on campus.

“I think that we have a very safe city. There’s always ways to improve anything, but we’re a very friendly place for pedestrians and bicyclists,” Ewing said. “The amount of bike paths and bike lanes we have here definitely improve life for them.”

Ewing said the biggest traffic issue UWPD sees is people riding mopeds illegally.

“You definitely want to make sure that for anyone with a moped registered as a moped, you can only have one person on it,” Ewing said. “That’s a huge safety issue we have all the time.”

Even if the moped has a large enough seat to fit two, she said, one person is the limit.