While the weather has been fickle since spring officially arrived, one thing that we have noticed on the few warm, sunny days we’ve seen are motorcycles returning to the roadways.

Like robins and longer days, motorcycles returning to our roadways are a sure sign that winter has passed and warmer weather is on its way. But with the return of bikes comes a return of potential accidents.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 4,976 people died in motorcycle crashes in 2015, the last year data is available. That was up 8.3 percent from 2014.

Fatalities in bike crashes also occur 27 times more often than in crashes of other vehicles, according to the NHTSA.

As a motorcycle rider, there are things you can do to decrease your risks. You can wear a helmet, even if it isn’t required of you under Ohio law. You can wear leathers to protect your skin in the case of an accident. Protective eyewear is required of all riders under Ohio law, so you should do that, too.

But it isn’t just bike riders that can or should take action to make sure they have a
safe experience on the road. Those operating cars or trucks can make things safer for bikers, too.

For one, don’t crowd bike riders. You should always leave enough space to stop between you and the vehicle in front of you, but this becomes especially important when following a bike. What might be a fender bender with two vehicles can be much more serious when one of those is a bike, so make sure you maintain plenty of space between yourself and any bike you are following.

If you see someone following a bike, don’t put your car into that space. Even if you need to make your exit, slow down, fall into place behind the car following the bike, and exit safely.

Trying to squeeze into a small space increases the likelihood of an accident for everyone, and puts the bike rider at increased risk.

Also make sure that you check your blind spots closely. Spot mirrors can help with this, especially if you have a large vehicle that has large blind spots. It’s hard enough to see a car in your blind spot, but when the vehicle is as small, and vulnerable, as a bike, the consequences of missing them in your mirror increase exponentially.

Everyone has a right to use the road, and to do so safely. Including bikes. Be on the lookout for them as things warm up, and enjoy your spring and summer travels.