(Radio Iowa) – Warmer spring weather may finally be here to stay and Iowa motorists are being urged to keep a sharper eye out for motorcycles. Colleen Powell, spokeswoman for the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and she’s reminding drivers to look for motorcycles, looking over the shoulder and not just in the mirror. When following a motorcycle, Powell says to give them plenty of room, as “they’re much more vulnerable than people in cars.”

Powell says 49 motorcyclists were killed on Iowa’s roads last year. Iowa is one of just three states that has -no- motorcycle helmet law, and she notes, about 75% of motorcyclists who are killed aren’t wearing helmets.