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Drivers warned to be aware of surroundings as more motorcycles hit the road

As the weather gets warmer, more motorcycles will be seen out on the roads.

You’re likely to hear them before you see them.

“People are not looking for motorcycles,” Ed Springer said. “They need to be more aware.”

Springer has been riding for 15 years. He had a close call a few years ago.

“I’m sitting at the light and I’m watching her in the mirror, and she came right by my leg,” he recalled. “And there she is texting on her phone.”

He’s not the only one. John Balta and Bill Keller have been riding together for 30 years and had similar experiences.

“When you hear a screeching coming up from behind you, you just sit there,” Keller said. “You don’t know what to do or where to go. It happens so fast.”

“On a bike you have no protection, so it’s more on you, but everybody should be watching,” Balta said.

Even Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple has a story to tell.

“I, myself, had a couple close calls,” he said. “I ended up selling my bike as a result of it.”

And for motorcyclists to obey the rules of the road as they said they know it’s risky to ride.

“Your awareness has to be heightened,” Keller said. “You can’t just relax and ride. You have to really pay attention.”

Check out the video report from News10