Welcome to our month

It's Better Sleep Month, National Good Car Care Month and Revise Your Schedule Month.

It's the official month of salads, eggs, hamburgers and barbecue. It's Date Your Mate Month (but not necessarily Mate Your Date Month). It's even Fungal Infection Awareness Month, but the biggest month of the month of May is Virginia Motorcycle Awareness Month.

Most states across the union are celebrating Motorcycle Awareness Month in May, the traditional time when the weather is good enough for most to get out and ride, most except for Just Matt who rides when it's 23 degrees on a dare.

"As the weather gets warmer, more motorcycle riders are hitting the roads in Virginia. Motorists need to share the road with motorcycle riders, while motorcyclists are reminded to follow the rules of the road, and to wear helmets and other protective gear that will increase their visibility," said officials from Virginia's DMV.

Last year at this time, 19 riders had died in Virginia. No new numbers are available as of yet. According to the DMV, in 2009, 71 motorcyclists were killed and 1,938 were injured in Virginia.

"Riding a motorcycle requires extra caution and concentration, and the proper training," said VAHSO Director John Saunders. "Helmets, eye protection and the right protective clothing -- coupled with training -- can make motorcycle riding a fun and exciting experience."

And all of that is true. What's also true is that, while motorcycle safety is always an issue, the month is called motorcycle awareness. The idea is to let folks know we're there and for them to see us as more than one-dimensional, dangerous vehicles piloted by insane criminal outcasts with death wishes, or at least as more than one-dimensional.

"While motorcycle riders are advised to receive the proper training, automobile drivers are encouraged to share the road with motorcyclists," DMV officials said. "Because of their smaller size, motorcyclists are often hidden in a vehicle¿s blind spot. Before pulling out into traffic, changing lanes, turning, backing up or proceeding through an intersection, drivers are urged to look for motorcycles."

There aren't many parties planned by the state. There aren't any government rallies and few, if any, celebratory runs. It's a holiday celebrating by not much of anything except a bunch of individuals out riding.

So what can we motorcyclists do to raise awareness?

How about riding. The more of us who ride to work, church, playgroup, drum circle, grocery store and appointments the more people that are going to be saying 'wait, YOU ride?"

Putting a face on the concept of a being a rider helps others notice motorcycles, if only for the fact that someone might be trying to determine if that bike is being ridden by their church pastor, lawyer or newspaper columnist.

So get a good sleep, change the oil in your car, make a few changes in your schedule to make time to ride and pack your bags with some egg salad, a barbecue burger and check your itchy feet for fungus, then get on your bikes and ride.

It's our month. Let's enjoy it.