COEUR d'ALENE - "Tar snakes," "autocycles" and lane sharing are three items on the list of concerns for Idaho's motorcyclists this year.

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, which commences the motorcycle riding season in Idaho and brings safety to the forefront as motorcyclists and drivers once again share the road.

"You haven't seen us all winter, and here we are," said Dave Cazel, the Idaho representative of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and member of ABATE (American Bikers Aiming Toward Education) of North Idaho. "We're back, this is riding season - there's going to be more motorcycles on the road."

Cazel recently coordinated the 14th annual Motorcycle Awareness Rally and Parade, where motorcyclists and bikes of all makes and models were present to ride and raise awareness for motorcycle safety.

"It was quite a successful event," Cazel said. "We had motorcyclists there that we hadn't seen in the past, and some new types of motorcycles also."

Cazel said safe riding and looking for motorcycles is extremely important; it hasn't been a great year for riders, as Idaho has already seen eight motorcycle fatalities.

"And this is just the month of May," he said.

"I think it's becoming a bigger issue today, with more cars on the road, our population's increasing, more bikes on the road, that population is increasing," said Dan Ertz, coordinator for ABATE of North Idaho. "Statistically, our fatalities and our accident numbers are going down because our numbers are increasing, but the fact of the matter is, when you're driving a car, it's pretty easy to visit on your cellphone or do what you're not supposed to do, be texting or some other inattentive driving issue.

"With inattentive driving, if there's an accident, we pay a heavier price if they run into us than they would if they ran into another car," he continued. "The bottom line is, hopefully they see us."

Cazel said two new items have gone before the Legislature regarding motorcycles - Senate Bill 1016, which ensures that people riding motorcycles are adequately trained, and House Bill 17, which brings forth the consideration of unconventional vehicles known as "autocycles." The latter is still under consideration, as the three-wheeled, enclosed vehicles are somewhat of an anomaly at this time.

"Most of us aren't really that comfortable with 'cycle' being in the name, either, because it's not," Ertz said. "But at least it's not a motorcycle and we're not saddled with their statistics and anything that would associate with those vehicles and bleed into what we're trying to do."

Cazel said "tar snakes" are a problem that will bubble to the top of road safety, as motorcyclists are at risk when the snake-like segments of tar on cracked pavement gets hot.

"When the sun beats on that, it becomes very, very viscous," Cazel said. "One, you can slide. Two, it compacts. That crack in the road will grab your tire. You don't want to ride parallel with them, you always want to ride perpendicular to them, and you can't; they're cracks. That is a very serious safety issue in Idaho."

Splitting lanes will also be a concern as decisions are made regarding the proper and safest way for motorcyclists to get through heavily stalled traffic areas.

"That will probably rise to the top," Cazel said, explaining that it may be OK for motorcyclists to split lanes if traffic is stalled, but motorcyclists need to be responsible about when they choose to drive through.

ABATE North Idaho is hosting its annual Freedom Run with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. The ride departs at 9:15 a.m. from Michael D's Eatery in Coeur d'Alene and will take guests along a fun run through the Palouse. The ride will return to Michael D's at 1:30 p.m.

"We're trying to be as cautious as we can," Cazel said. "We hope that they're aware that we're out there and they would be cautious also. That's the essence of what we're trying to do."