ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Residents will see more than just cars and trucks on the road as the weather starts to warm up in the stateline.

It is the start of motorcycle riding season. The annual “A.B.A.T.E Safety & Wellness Parade” took place on Saturday.

“It’s awesome,” said motorcyclists Kim Tanner and Stacy Guiterrez. “You know, it’s to make the people around us aware that it it’s motorcycle riding season.”

Motorcyclists have kickstarted their riding season with the parade for over 30 years. Tanner and Guiterrez said that they have been riding for years, and that safety is still the most important thing for all motor vehicles.

“This is an awareness parade,” they said. “If one person is aware and it saves one life, that’s a start.”

The parade started at Carlson Ice Arena and ended at Kegel Harley-Davidson, where the riders were served lunch. Kurt Husen, vice president of the A.B.A.T.E Kishwaukee Valley Chapter, said that motorcycles move, stop and react differently than cars.

“I mean, you hear of tragic stuff already this year, you know, and people just have to remember that we’re out there, share the road and we have to reciprocate,” Husen said. “We have to do the same thing. We don’t command anymore space or rights than anybody driving any other automotive.”

“If people were to put down your phones and be aware of what’s going on around you, that would be awesome,” Tanner and Guiterrez added.

Tanner and Guiterrez said that it is vital for drivers to be cautious that they are sharing the road with motorcyclists.

“We’re wives, moms, grandmas, so yeah, we’d like to go home to them,” they said. “Look, to save a life is our motto, so look twice before you pull out in an intersection or take off at a stoplight. Make sure there’s not a motorcycle coming the other direction.”

Organizers stressed that drivers should double check their blind spots, intersections and leave a car distance away. It is strongly encouraged for motorcyclists to take more than one motorcycle safety class.