The weekend was a deadly one for two motorcycle riders. One of them died on I-580 after crashing. Witnesses say the rider appeared to be riding recklessly. A second motorcyclist died, Saturday night. Officers say 68-year-old Cheryl Stander was driving drunk and hit the motorcycle rider at the corner of Fourth Street and Mayberry Drive.

"Driving while intoxicated is 100 percent preventable," Officer Travis Warren, Reno Police Department said. "That means if you've decided to drink or drive, drink. Don't drive. There's many options, rideshare, designated driver, or using a taxi."

The days are getting longer and warmer, so there are more motorcycles on the roads than in the past few months. Warren says that is something everybody has to be aware of.

"Roadway safety is a shared responsibility, whether you're a motorcycle rider, whether you're a driver of a car, or whether you're a pedestrian," Warren said.

Drivers are encouraged to use extra precautions on the roads. Motorcycles can be a little harder to see than cars.

"Check their blind spots, expect the unexpected, look twice is always a good idea," Scott Alquist, Program Manager at TMCC Safety Center said. "Motorcycles, when they come up behind you, don't tend to get bigger in your mirror. They only tend to get taller. So sometimes people don't judge it properly."

Another key for drivers is to put down the distractions and focus on the road.

"Some people say they can drive a car and talk on the phone and you're doing two things at once," George Bodenhamer, Parts Associate at Reno Harley Davidson said. "You should be paying attention to the driving because a motorcyclist is hard to see."

Bodenhamer says he is already seeing a lot more people in his shop. Many of them want to get set for the warmer months ahead.

"People try to get their bikes back in order and get their bike together so they can get riding in the riding season," Bodenhamer said.

Part of that includes having the proper gear, including a jacket, gloves and a helmet.

"Full face helmets are probably the best way to go," Alquist said. "People, I see them out there with the little half-helmets and the novelty helmets. Not going to do them any good."

Alquist says riders should also take it slowly before getting on the highway. People who haven't ridden since last fall might be out of practice and need to get reacquainted with their bikes.

"For the riders out, a lot of them have been parked most of the winter so don't just jump on the freeways again," Alquist said. "Get out, get your legs back underneath you, get some practice, and then get out."

Motorcycle riders are encouraged to be aware of everything happening around them, since drivers might not see them.

"Motorcyclists always got to look twice as well, don't trust blinkers, don't trust head movements," Alquist said. 

"I keep my high beams on all the time, trying to make sure that if I'm annoying to them, they see me," Bodenhamer said.

As the spring approaches, motorcycle riders are also urged to pay attention to debris that could be on the roads, left over from winter maintenance.

"Because it's the end of winter, the roads aren't in the best of shape," Alquist said. "There's a lot of sand in the corners from snow control and they just need to slow down and pay attention as well."

"Debris on the road that, as the summer progresses, it gets cleaned off, it gets moved off from cars and after vehicles driving on the road," Warren said.

Daylight saving time could also have an impact on some drivers and riders. The extra day of sunlight in the evenings means more people might be outside, later than they were last week..

"What that means is that people may get out and start riding their bikes more, people might get out and take an evening drive or people may come home, get on their motorcycles and take an evening ride," Warren said.

Some police officers also ride motorcycles while they are on patrol. Warren says they ride throughout the winter months unless bad weather prevents it. With the nicer weather, drivers can expect to see them on the roads, too.

"Just be aware that our officers are out there, they're looking for road violations because we really need to work together to keep our roadways safe," Warren said.

Along with more motorcycles, special event season is right around the corner, as well. So as we get closer, there could be a lot more traffic in general.