TEMPLE, Texas — Hundreds of motorcyclists gathered on Sunday afternoon for the 11th annual "Do You See Me Now?" motorcycle and safety awareness ride.
The ride began at Bell County Motoworks in Temple and ended roughly fifty miles away in Lampasas.
Chairman Bruce Raymond hopes the ride inspires drivers to be more cautious and think about the danger they can pose to motorcyclists if they aren't looking out for them.
"These are fathers, mothers, daughters, sons," Raymond explained. He said many people write them off as just "bikers".
In 2020, TxDOT reports that 412 motorcyclists died on the road and more than 1,800 suffered severe injuries.
Many at Sunday's event have been victims of accidents themselves.
Penny and Rick Fitzgerald, both on the board of the event explained they had both suffered accidents in recent years while riding.
Rick Fitzgerald said a woman ran out in front of his bike in 2015, leaving him hospitalized for weeks.
"I had two crushed wrists, I spent 20 days in the hospital or something like that and I still can't bend my wrists all the way," Fitzgerald said.
Another motorcyclist, William Wolfe, said he was also involved in an accident while riding.
"I got rear-ended sitting, waiting to turn left. The guy got out, the first thing he said was, 'I'm sorry, I didn't even see you,'" he said.
Riders are pleading with Central Texans, both car drivers and motorcycle riders, to use common sense and to pay close attention to the road.
