DENVER — Although motorcycles only make up 3 percent of the vehicles on the roads, they represent about 20 percent of the fatalities on Colorado roads.

Fifty-four motorcyclists have been killed on Colorado roads this year and with the warm summer weather, there’s a lot more of them on the road.

The Colorado Department of Transportation said motorcyclists and other drivers need to be more careful on the roads. One way for motorcyclists to be safer is by taking training courses.

“We definitely know that a lot of these crashes the motorcyclists themselves are to blame either they are riding impaired or riding too fast or riding aggressively but we do see a lot of crashes that involve a motorist,” CDOT spokesman Sam Cole said.

CDOT offers a motorcycle operator safety training program.

It’s hands-on training courses in 16 counties across the state and it said it increase skills which, in turn, increases safety on the roads.