Thirty-eight people were killed in traffic accidents in Wisconsin this March, making it the deadliest month on the state’s roads since 2007.

An increase from recent years, 109 deaths have occurred on Wisconsin roadways in 2015 so far, according to the state’s Department of Transportation. It is an issue DOT looks to reduce after this particularly deadly month on Wisconsin roads, Director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety Randy Romanski said.

David Noyce, University of Wisconsin director of Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory, said while factors such as weather can play into traffic incidents, the lion’s share of fault lies in the driver.

“Many factors play a role in traffic fatalities, but the largest contributing factor to traffic fatalities is driver behavior,” Noyce said. “Over 90 percent of car crashes happen due to human error.”

Noyce is not surprised by the increase, but does not attribute this short-term rise in traffic deaths to anything specific.

For example, DOT outlines that in the month of March, traffic deaths usually average around 30 people. In 2010, the amount was lower at 23 deaths, while in the last few years deaths have hovered in the low 30s.

“Traffic fatalities and crashes are very random, they fluctuate from time to time for reasons we do not understand,” Noyce said.

Romanski said there has been a trend of improved road safety, with the number of fatalities on Wisconsin roadways steadily decreasing over the last several years.

National traffic statistics confirm this downward trend. The number of people in the U.S. killed in road fatalities per 100,000 people in 2012 decreased by more than half since 1980, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report.

Wisconsin ranked second lowest in traffic deaths in the six-state Midwestern region in 2014 with 498 fatalities, according to preliminary statistics, Romanski said.

“That’s a trend we all hope continues, because the ultimate goal is driving our fatalities towards zero in Wisconsin,” Romanski said. “Zero is really the only appropriate number of traffic fatalities.”

According to the national report, Ohio witnessed the highest amount of traffic related deaths in the midwest, with crashes claiming 1,123 lives in 2012.

Despite March’s spike in traffic-related deaths, Romanski said winter months are generally the safest for driving because drivers are more attentive to the potentially dangerous road conditions they may encounter.

Romanski said this year’s comparatively less severe winter weather may have been a contributing factor to the increased number of road fatalities.

“Weather does play a role; people self-regulate in bad weather, and less snowy, slippery inclement weather means that people tend to regulate their behavior less,” Romanski said. “As a result there’s more exposure.”

Noyce said the primary issue in most crashes is the errors that drivers make.

“For the most part we’re all in the same boat,” Noyce said. “The primary issue is human drivers and it really doesn’t matter where you are for those types of things.”

Decisions such as driving too fast, driving impaired or being distracted behind the wheel are responsible for the overwhelming majority of traffic fatalities, Romanski said.

There are many different types of driver errors, and it’s rarely the vehicle that malfunctions, Noyce said.

Romanski said Wisconsin’s DOT continues to promote road safety wherever and whenever they can.

“Ultimately we all play a role in improved traffic safety, a motorist’s character is to slow down, buckle up, drive sober and eliminate distractions behind the wheel,” Romanski said.