Police are worried about the rising number of deaths on Niagara roadways, so they're stepping up patrols to prevent them.

A month-long traffic enforcement campaign by Niagara Regional Police is underway, zeroing in on south Niagara communities---Pelham, Port Colborne, Wainfleet & Welland.

Officers in marked & unmarked cruisers are taking a zero-tolerance approach to drivers who speed, drive drunk, use their phones behind the wheel, blow through stop signs & don't buckle up.  Cops also plan to focus on back roads.

The death of a 25-year-old motorcyclist in St. Catharines Monday marked the 16th fatality on Niagara's roads so far this year.  There were 15 road deaths in Niagara during all of 2011 on NRP patrolled roads.

**PHOTO: Scene of July crash in Pelham that killed 3, hurt 4

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