The first three months of 2026 were the deadliest opening quarter for Colorado motorcyclists in nearly a decade, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. Between Jan. 1 and March 31, 15 riders were killed in crashes, the deadliest start to a year in Colorado since 2017, the state agency said. Five of those fatal crashes were in Colorado Springs, law enforcement officials said. During that three-month span, Adams County near Denver had the highest number of motorcycle deaths with six, according to Colorado State Patrol. El Paso County was second in the state with five fatalities, followed by Jefferson (four), Larimer (four) and Boulder (two) counties. This grim news comes as 2026 moves toward what is typically the deadliest period on U.S. roadways. Road safety experts often refer to the span between Memorial Day and Labor Day as the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer,” a typically warm-weather period that has been particularly hazardous for motorcyclists.…