Seeing yellow

September is often a time when we start to see an increase in the number of motorcycles on our roads after a winter of hibernation.

According to ACC, more than half of Kiwi motorcyclists park up over winter and wait for the warmer riding conditions of spring. I don’t blame that majority either: riding in the freezing rain is often a challenge, and not in a fun way.

While we’re not all on the roads year-round, we still make up a staggering number of fatal road statistics. Despite making up only 3 per cent of the national fleet, motorcyclists make up roughly 20 per cent of fatalities.

We’re well aware of how vulnerable we are on two wheels, but there is always more we can do to keep ourselves safe on the roads. So it makes spring a perfect time to promote motorcycling with ACC and Ride Forever officially naming September as Motorcycle Awareness Month (MAM).

This year the key message remains the same: look out for bikes. As part of this, riders are being encouraged to don yellow — naturally an eye-catching hue — in an effort to help raise the profile of motorcyclists.

You don’t have to go full fluoro to get in behind MAM, but it can’t hurt more than your pride to go the whole nine yards.

There are also a number of courses, tips and competitions being offered by Ride Forever; it’s worth checking out rideforever. co.nz and brushing up on your skillset.