CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Facing a record number of motorcycle fatalities this year, the U.S. Marine Corps has ordered each of its bases to deliver a count of how many riders it has, it was reported Tuesday.

Base officials have until Friday to finish counting, The North County Times reported.

Twenty-four fatal motorcycle crashes involving Marines nationwide have been recorded since Oct. 1 of last year, up from 19 in the previous year, according to the newspaper.

The most recent local fatal crash involving a Marine happened on Aug. 16, when Lance Cpl. Christopher Carrasquillo from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station lost control while attempting to pass slower traffic on state Route 76 in the North County.

He was thrown off his bike after striking a tree and died at the scene.

"We have lost more Marines as a result of motorcycle accidents this year than we ever have before," Gen. James Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, wrote in his order for a ridership census, the Times reported.

The Marine Corps plans to use the census in its effort to develop more safety courses, the Times reported.