Time to jump on the ol’ crotch rocket and catch some flies in your teeth.

Just remember, you and your bike are about as visible to other drivers as those winged pests are to you.

When motorcycles and other vehicles collide, it is often because the other driver violates the cyclist’s right of way. Drivers in cars aren’t used to watching for bikers and often don’t see them coming.

In Iowa, nearly 50 motorcyclists were killed in crashes last year. If you don’t want to become beetle juice on somebody’s windshield, you gotta look out for yourself:

* Assume other drivers don’t know you’re there, no matter how big or cool or loud your bike is.

* Remember, there are a lot of older drivers on Iowa’s roads. They find it especially difficult to see you and judge how fast you’re approaching.

* Be especially alert at intersections, where most motorcycle-vehicle crashes occur.

* Don’t follow vehicles too closely. Oncoming motorists can’t see you.

* Wear bright clothes.

* Turn on your headlight. (It’s the law in Iowa, day and night.)

* Add extra headlights and running lights to your bike.

A little common sense will improve your odds of avoiding, or surviving, a crash:

* Wear a helmet and leathers. Just in case. (More than 90 percent of motorcyclists who die from crash injuries aren’t wearing helmets.)

* Skip the beer before you hit the road. (Half of fatal single-vehicle motorcycle crashes involve a driver under the influence.)

* Take a motorcycle driver’s course and get a license.

For more information about motorcycle licensing and safety, contact the State of Iowa’s Office of Driver Services in Des Moines.

You can call them at 800-532-1121, email them at ods@max. state.ia.us. Or, see www.dot.state. ia.us/mvd/ods/mre.htm.

Have fun. Be safe.

Marcia Brink

Communications Manager

Center for Transportation Research and Education