Two sure signs that summer is coming: Temperatures are starting to warm up, and motorcyclists are dusting off their bikes and hitting the roads.

May has been declared Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in Alberta and Constable Mike Hibbs of the RCMP-Sheriff Integrated Traffic Unit is reminding all motorists that, with the first holiday weekend of summer almost upon us, keeping roads safe is a shared responsibility.

"It's going to be a really busy weekend, we're going to have a lot of campers and trailers on the highway, a lot of motorcyclists heading out and of course a lot of general public heading out to visit family and friends.  We want to make sure highways are safe and we want people to get to their destinations and back home safely."

Collisions involving motorcycles are a significant concern because often they involve serious injuries or fatalities.  Hibbs says staying safe on a bike means staying visible to other motorists and staying out of their blind spots.  "Those blind spots certainly come into effect with semi truck drivers.  If you're going to pass a vehicle on the highway make sure you have lots of distance and when you get out to pass that vehicle you do it as quickly as you can.  When you're in city traffic, to avoid the blind spot, just stay behind the vehicle and give them plenty of room to move around."

Other safety tips Hibbs has for motorcyclists include wearing high visibility jackets and helmets and other safety gear.  "Shatter-proof eye protection, a pair of long pants, leather footwear that comes past your ankles, that'll be support for your ankles in case you lose balance on your motorcycle.  Also full fingered, non-slip gloves so your hands are not moving around on the handlebars."

Hibbs says collisions sometimes occur when a motorist underestimates the speed a motorcycle is traveling.  "Their speed can be deceiving, so they actually could be going faster than what they appear to be going because they are a smaller vehicle and give that perception on the highway."

Hibbs says the RCMP hope all drivers, including motorcycle operators, have a safe holiday weekend.  "Just keep your speeds down, stay away from the impaired operation and it should be a safe weekend."

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