At least 22 motorcyclists have been killed on Minnesota roads to-date in 2011, according to preliminary reports from the Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety.

The 22 deaths reflect a nearly 30 percent increase in deaths compared to 17 at this time in 2010. Last year there was a total of 45 rider deaths, a 15 percent drop from 53 in 2009. In 2008, the 74 deaths marked a 24-year high in riders killed. Riders ages 40 to 64 accounted for 64 percent of deaths in 2010.

“A big concern is that August and September are typically high-traffic and high-fatal months for riders,” said Bill Shaffer, DPS Office of Traffic Safety motorcycle program coordinator. “Riders and motorists need to share the road and be watchful of each other.”