A car wreck that killed three people in Lynchburg yesterday and the death of a Maryland man yesterday from injuries sustained in a Stafford County crash earlier this month brought the total as of late yesterday to 1,003 fatalities
"One primary factor is the dramatic increase in motorcycle fatalities," said Corrine Gellar, state police spokeswoman.
Motorcycle fatalities have increased by about 87 percent this year compared with last year, she said.
From Jan. 1 to Nov. 5, 116 died in motorcyle-related deaths, compared with 62 in the same period last year.
State safety agencies tried to publicize the growing number of deaths this fall, launching a Web site, safevahighways.org, that asked, "Are You Virginia's Next Traffic Fatality?"
Motorists are asked to obey the speed limit, buckle up, drive free from the influence of alcohol and drugs, share the road and limit driver distractions.
Last year, 961 people died in motor-vehicle crashes in Virginia.
--Kelly Hannon and Karen Bolipata