MnDOT Reminder: Warmer Weather, More Bicycles

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's getting warmer in Minnesota, however slowly, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation is reminding motorists that warmer temperatures mean more bicyclists will return to the road, so motorists and bicyclists need to share the road safely.

MnDOT says that in the last five years, 2008 through 2012, 44 bicyclists died on Minnesota roads and 4,599 were injured. More than half of bicyclist deaths a 60 percent of injuries occurred between June and September.

"To reduce crashes, motorists must treat bicyclists like they'd treat any other vehicle," said Sue Groth, MnDOT state traffic engineer. "And bicyclists on the road must act like vehicles—meaning stop at stop signs, signal turns and be visible."

MnDOT adds that a third of bike crashes occur during afternoon rush hours. Three out of five bike crashes occur in the cities with populations of over 50,000.

For more information on MnDOT's "Share the Road" program, click here.