Temperatures are getting warmer and more people, including motorcyclists and bicyclists, will be on the roads. Now is the time to remember to share the road, especially because May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. 

Since 2004, Erin Boggs, I&M Business Analyst principal, has been an avid motorcycle rider. 

“I love the adventure and the freedom riding brings. You can ride down a country road and feel the change in temperature in a low spot,” Boggs described. “When I was younger my dad had a motorcycle and I remember waiting for him to get home from the flight line to take me for a ride. When I got my first motorcycle some of my favorite memories were riding along side of him.”

I&M’s dedication to safety and ZERO HARM also goes with Boggs on her motorcycle rides. Her father, John McLaughlin, worked for I&M long before she did and passed his safety lessons on to her.

“He always tauht me to leave enough space between me and the car in front of me in case I needed an ‘out’. He also said to never sit at a stop light or in traffic in neutral,” Boggs said. “Now that I work at I&M, I understand all of dad’s driving safety talks.”

Boggs says his dedication to safe driving actually saved her life once during a trip.

“There was an accident ahead of us and by the time we heard the screeching of the brakes behind us, we had already pulled off into the berm about two-three car lengths ahead as the vehicle behind us, along with debris from the wreckage, came to rest where we had been sitting a few seconds earlier,” Boggs said.

Drivers need to be aware of motorcycles and bikes on the road. One thing we can all do to keep each other safe is to look twice.

“The A-pillar (the support structure between your windshield and front doors) in a vehicle can block a motorcycle, a bicycle, a pedestrian or even a small car,” Boggs said. “I encourage everyone to not only look twice for motorcycles, but look twice before turning left or right into traffic. You can save your life, but you may also save the life of others as well.”

More Safety Tips for Drivers:

• Always check mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes.
• Do not follow a motorcycle too closely. Always keep a safe distance.
• Never attempt to share the lane with a motorcycle. The motorcyclist is entitled to the entire lane.
• A motorcycle may look farther away than it is because of its small size, and it may be difficult to judge a motorcycle’s speed. When checking traffic to turn at an intersection or into (or out of) a driveway, predict a motorcycle is closer than it appears.