AAA Urges Minnesota and Wisconsin Drivers To Watch For Motorcycle

The weather is warming up and all the serious and weekend motorcyclists are taking to the road toward a destination, or just to ride again.

Some motorcycle riders will be taking part in the Spring Flood Run along the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers this Saturday, April 17, AAA is advising drivers from Minnesota and Wisconsin to be extra cautious and aware of cars, and trucks with boats on trailers and motorcyclists popping up in your blind spot.

Some motorcyclists are accomplished drivers, some are only riders on the weekends. According to Minnesota Department of Public Safety data, there were 44 motorcyclists killed on Minnesota roadways and another 840 seriously injured in 2019 alone.

Motorcyclists are harder to see and they can lane change faster they will pop up out of nowhere and so are difficult to see. AAA recommends during the months ahead to look twice in your rearview mirror and out your side mirrors.

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To help make this year safer than years past, AAA offers the following tips:

Be extra cautious on weekends, when more motorcyclists take to the road.
Treat them as a car when behind them, give them a couple of car lengths when following them on the highway or roadways.
Allow extra maneuvering room in areas with potholes, pavement transitions, and railroad crossings. They have to navigate a little differently than a car with four wheels.
Motorcycles have a right to a full lane so treat them as another car.
If a motorcycle is nearby, check your mirrors carefully before changing lanes.

For more motorcycle safety information and to find local training courses, visit the Motorcycle Safety Foundation website at www.msf-usa.org.