MADISON, Wis. — Drivers in New Glarus and across southwest Wisconsin are being urged to use extra caution as students return to school, following a sharp increase in pedestrian crashes across the region this year.

Pedestrian crashes in southwest Wisconsin increased 45% from January through July compared with the average for the same period during the previous three years, according to Wisconsin Department of Transportation data cited by SSM Health.

“This summer we've seen an increase in these types of accidents,” said Dr. Ryan Holden, trauma surgeon and trauma medical director at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital-Madison. “As roadways become busier and more people are walking, biking and riding e-bikes, the potential for serious interactions with vehicles increases.”

Holden said the beginning of the school year makes awareness especially important as students return to classrooms and college campuses and more pedestrians, bicyclists and e-bike riders share roads, sidewalks, trails and intersections.