Eleven people have died on New Hampshire roadways in less than a week, including two motorcyclists in Concord in the last two days.

“Across my 27 years in law enforcement I can’t remember there being this many fatalities this close together,” said Epsom Police Chief Brian Michael.

In addition to the recent deaths, a motorcyclist remains in critical condition after a head-on crash in Epsom Thursday.

This spike in fatal crashes, as is often the case in a New Hampshire summer, was pronounced among motorcyclists, who were four of the recent victims. At this point in the year, New Hampshire is on track to set a decade-high for motorcycle deaths and could surpass the 2005 high of 43. Including the crash in Epsom, there were three near-fatal or fatal crashes between motorcycles and pick-up trucks in less than a week.

Two drivers of motorcycle-like vehicles died in Concord crashes within 24 hours of each other. 

Ian McLauchlan, 63, of Warner died at the scene after crashing his motorcycle on Washington Street Monday afternoon around 4:15 p.m., according to Concord Police. No other vehicles were involved. 

Tuesdsay morning, a scooter appears to have crossed the center line traveling westbound on Clinton Street and collided head-on with a Toyota pickup truck, according to Concord Police. The driver, 70-year-old Weare resident Joseph Kasper, was transported to Concord Hospital and later pronounced dead. The cause of both crashes remains under investigation.

The department is urging people to drive with more care. 

“It seems like everyone’s in a rush these days,” Concord Deputy Chief of Police John Thomas said. “All it takes is a few seconds for something to go wrong where someone could get hurt or even get killed.”

Thomas said he couldn’t remember two fatal crashes in Concord ever happening within 24 hours. 

Statewide safety officials are likewise pleading for more caution on the roads.

“The unfortunate reality is many of these crashes could have been prevented by better decision-making,” said New Hampshire Department of Safety Assistant Commissioner Eddie Edwards. “We are asking our residents and visitors to comply with speed limits, keep their eyes on the road, and don’t drive impaired.”

Lt. Chris Storm of New Hampshire State Police said that the string of recent crashes doesn’t present any unusual, related cause: they occurred in towns and cities in all corners of the state, on all types of roads, at different times. In addition to those in Concord, recent fatalities include: 

■On Friday, an 8-year-old girl from Laconia, Aria Encisco, died when the Mazda she was riding in collided head-on with a Toyota SUV on Route 106 in Loudon.

■Also Friday, 18-year-old Guiseppe Bonanno of Northfield was killed in a crash in Belmont after police say he lost control of his motorcycle.

■On Friday, a pick-up truck driver died after a tractor-trailer crossed the centerline on East Main Street in Conway. Both vehicles caught fire in the head-on crash.

■Saturday afternoon, a 17-year-old from Dublin on an electric scooter died after being struck head-on by a car in Jaffrey.

■That evening, two cars hit head-on on the Route 3/Route 11 by-pass in Gilford after one of them crossed the center line. The crash is still under investigation but both operators, 41-year-old Tracey Maclean of Bristol and 68-year-old Mary Kalista of Farmington, died at the scene.

■On Sunday, also in Gilford, Alfred Worthen, 50, a resident of the town walking on the shoulder of Gilford Avenue was hit and killed by an SUV. The driver of the car was a 74-year-old woman with dementia, unlicensed for several years, who had taken the keys and car of her husband, who is also her caretaker, according to Gilford police. He called 911, but police did not locate the car before the accident.

■Sunday in Alton, Collin Zaremba, 25, of Belmont, was killed after he hit the back of a pick-up truck waiting to make a left turn off Mount Major Highway.

■Early that morning in Hampton Falls, police found a vehicle on Exeter Road fully engulfed in flames — the driver was found dead alone inside.

■Additionally, there’s the motorcyclist from the Epsom area who remains in critical condition after he was struck head-on by a pick-up truck making a left-hand turn on Route 28 on Thursday afternoon.

“I’ve been asked that question a lot,” said Dustin Parent, a Gilford police captain when asked about whether he saw a cause behind the jump in deaths. The two crashes, and the loss of Worthen, were tragedies the community keenly felt. “They hall have different reasons behind them.”

Deaths on America’s highways soared during the pandemic, hitting a 16-year high of 42,915 in 2021 for reasons that are not entirely clear. The sharp increase was surprising because highway deaths had been declining for years, falling to 36,000 in 2019.

The number of national fatalities dipped in 2023, but averages remain much higher than pre-COVID.

The picture is more complicated in New Hampshire: since the state has a relatively small number of road fatalities, a few accidents can cause a big percentage change. For example, N.H. traffic fatalities fell by 25% in 2017, rose by 44% the following year, then fell by 31% the year after that.

After the last few days, roadway fatalities in the state are tracking 10% higher than at this time last year — up to 64 so far.

The most road fatalities in New Hampshire occurred in 2018, when 147 people died on highways. That number was almost reached in 2022 with 146 people killed.

The tally went down in 2023 to 130, which is still much higher than the 10-year average of 116 traffic fatalities per year.

In response, state police will likely increase patrols and presence on state highways, according to Storm.

Global and national studies have shown that unusual heat can cause increases in motor vehicle accidents. “Weather always plays a role,” Storm said — and he noted the current heatwave was likely no exception — but, in the end, preventing crashes comes down to vigilance.

“It’s always the same stuff: speed, operator inexperience, distracted driving, impairment,” he said. “A majority of all these crashes are preventable.”

Catherine McLaughlin can be reached at cmclaughlin@cmonitor.com. David Brooks can be reached at dbrooks@cmonitor.com.