TEMPLE, Texas — You might have seen a large group of motorcycles riding down I-35 or I-14 Sunday afternoon and you should know there's good reason behind the ride.
It's the 11th annual Do You See Me Now? Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Ride Of Central Texas.
Nearly 250 riders participated this year.
The motorcyclists met in Temple and were escorted by local law enforcement all the way to Lampasas High School.
"We like to ride from one point to another for people to see us, for people to see the statement of safety and awareness," said Ubaldo Gonzalez, the vice chairman of the annual ride.
In 2019, more than 5,000 motorcyclists died, according to the NHTSA.
It's tragedies that Bruce Raymond, the chairman of the ride, is no stranger to.
"I have a whole list, I've lost a lot of friends -- not just one or two," Raymond said.
He says he was almost hit recently and the excuse of not being seen is too common.
"This is what I ride," as he pointed to his big crimson colored bike. "So [you] can't tell me you can't see me but nevertheless, it's the same thing. The last thing we want to hear is they didn't see us."
Amy Jo Miller, who is the secretary for the annual ride, loves to ride motorcycles but since she became a survivor in a crash she can't ride alone.
"The car turned out in front of us," she recalled. "We collided, I went over that vehicle into the road, which I was ran over by a second vehicle."
She says she suffered traumatic brain injury, a stroke and her femur tore all the way through her leg.
For all their friends, brothers and sisters they have tragically lost and for all the survivors too, participants at the event want to spread awareness, ask drivers to share the road, double check their surroundings and pay attention.
"Please, if you're gonna drive, put your put your phones to the side," Gonzalez added.
Not just for motorcyclists, but for everyone on the road.
"This is important to me, because we've lost so many people," Miller added. "In the end, it allows for people to be safe, for everybody; in vehicles, on bikes, people just walking down the road."
This year's event supports Motorcycle Missions, a non-profit helping veterans and first responders with PTS(D) find hope and healing through motorcycle therapy.