May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and as temperatures get warmer, more bikers will be out on the roads. It's important that both riders and motorists know what to watch out for when sharing the pavement.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute, motorcycle deaths count for 13 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths in 2015 -- this is more than double the number of deaths in 1997.
To help combat those numbers, members of the Milwaukee Motorclub Raw Iron Brotherhood take additional precautions to avoid crashes, including: wearing helmets, reducing their speeds, and staying within the pack.
Back at the clubhouse, Raw Iron Brotherhood Co-founder Rodney "Tha Spoiler" Viverette says even before he started riding he felt it was important to be aware of his surroundings and limit distractions.
"It encompasses everything that I do, and I'm not saying that everyone should be that way. But you have to realize that they're there," Viverette said.
Since Viverette is Raw Iron's media specialist, he's always looking for ways to capture the brotherhood's time on the road, while also focusing on his own riding.
Raw Iron is made up of businessmen, factory workers, and law enforcement. So, Co-founder and President Deon "Big D" Polk tells his bikers to stay out of blind spots and reduce speeds during around the city.
"The motorist and the biker have to look at the truth..If we all pay attention take our time... and then, when there's a tragedy it's truly an accident. Not something that could have been avoided," Deon says.
Both Polk and Viverette agree that the main thing bikers can control to keep them safe is to slow down! Polk furthers his point by reminding his bikers that they need to drive not only for themselves, but for the motorist around them. Stressing that pot holes and intersections can be potentially dangerous and to follow the road signs: Stop. Yield. Caution.
For more information on Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, click here.
Be sure and watch TODAY'S TMJ4 on Roku! We are the only station in Milwaukee to provide the latest news, weather and sports on the device. Search for us on Roku today!