MONROE - Green County traffic fatalities declined last year for the second straight year.

In 2010, Green County recorded three fatalities, one in February and two in April, said Jeff Skatrud, Green County sheriff. In 2009, there were four traffic fatalities in the county.

Skatrud said he wasn't sure why the number of fatalities decreased. He said it's hard to pin down one specific reason.

"There are probably two dozen reasons, but it's hard to be specific," he said.

He suggested public service announcements that encourage people to wear seat belts and warn about the dangers of drunken driving could be getting the message across that people need to be careful when they drive. He said the sheriff's department has been able to use grant money to increase enforcement and that could have helped keep the fatality numbers down.

Another reason could be the weather, he said. Over the past couple of years, winter weather may have led people to drive more slowly and more cautiously so that if they do get into an accident, the results aren't as severe.

Sheriff's department records indicate there have been 44 traffic fatalities in the county since 2004.

Lafayette County Sheriff Scott Pedley said there were seven fatalities in the county in 2010. There were six fatalities in 2009.

According to the Associated Press, the number of people who died in car and truck accidents in Wisconsin dropped in 2010, but more pedestrians and people riding bikes and motorcycles were killed.

State Department of Transportation figures show that although the number of fatalities increased last year, it was well below the five-year average. Transportation officials say 564 people died on Wisconsin roads last year. Motorcycle fatalities increased from 84 in 2009 to 104 last year.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the last time there were fewer than 600 traffic deaths for three consecutive years was 1942-1944. That's when gas rationing drastically reduced travel.