The number of motorcyclists on the road is bound to increase now that warmer temperatures have reached the Central Plains.

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and Laurie Ringland, president of the local Commandos Motorcycle Club, is hoping to make sure riders stay safe on the road. Ringland's best piece of advice for either new riders, or those who haven't been on their motorcycle in a long time, is to take it slow.

"Find an empty parking lot and practice doing s-curves, 180s, and 360s," explains Ringland. "I took my son out a couple of years ago, he was just getting his licence, and we just went to the local church parking lot and went back and forth, back and forth. It helps a lot."

When the snow initially melted, the grit and sand left over from winter made roads especially tough to ride on. Since then, he mentions that the city has swept most of the local roads, but he still recommends being very careful when following cars, as they'll kick up the dirt as they drive.

The president notes that he would like to see drivers on the Trans-Canada Highway keep a bit of a better eye out for riders.

"I've had instances where semis are in the right-hand lane and I'm in the left-hand lane pulling out and I'm all the way over in the left lane and they still come out in front of you," mentions Ringland. "A lot of them don't look, and it's the same with cars. A lot of them think it's same as passing a car, when it's not. If you pull in fast like you do when you're passing a car, you're kicking up debris from your car and all that stuff is affecting the motorcyclist behind you."

To ensure the safety of a motorcyclist while passing them, Ringland says to count to 12 seconds after passing them before changing lanes.

"There's a rule of thumb I have," notes Ringland. "I talked to an older fellow out in Brandon and he said, 'as a motorcyclist, you do not become part of traffic. You either get ahead of it or drop behind it.' That's the best piece of advice I ever got."

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