With Spring rapidly approaching, more of us will be taking to the road on our motorcycles. Many cagers have become complacent about looking for us over the winter. After almost all accidents involving an automobile pulling out in front of a motorcycle, the driver will say “I didn't see him.”

We as motorcyclists must be responsible for our own safety. We must make ourselves be seen. Some choose brightly colored riding gear. That certainly helps but I prefer leather riding gear. I feel I would look like some kind of fruit salad in safety orange or yellow leathers. I have found some alternate solutions that work without my buddies giving me grief about my riding apparel.

Number one. Headlight modulator. This device when installed on your bike makes your headlight constantly flash during daylight while staying always on at night. This gets drivers attention. More times than I can count I have approached an intersection where a car was either waiting to make a left turn or was rolling through a stop sign to pull out in front of me on the right. They notice the flashing headlight and lock their brakes! They see me.

Number two. Tail light flasher. How many times do we slow down and the car behind us just keeps on coming? Motorcycle tail lights tend to be small and most of us have just one so how do we make ourselves seen especially at night? I have installed a tail light flasher that makes my tail light flash 5 times before coming on steady. It's all about getting the cager's attention and this does just that. I also use it to let people know that they are following too close. Installing a couple of extra reflectors will also help at night.

Number three. Turn signals. Let everyone know which way you intend to go. Many have aftermarket turn signals that are small as they can be and are hard to see. While this may look “cool”, it hardly lets others on the road know when you are turning. Most stock amber turn signal are adequate to be seen. Using hand signals in addition to your turn signals is also a good idea.

Now your bike will be more visible to others on the road and you can still wear your favorite riding gear. Be sure to find Utah Bike Law on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The weather is warming up in Utah. Let's get out and ride!