Bicycle season is here and MnDOT is asking motorists and bicyclists to remember that they have the same rights and responsibilities while traveling on all Minnesota roads.

Here are some bicycle statistics from MnDOT:

* An average of eight cyclists are killed and 1,000 injured in bicycle crashes involving motor vehicles every year.

* Failure to yield the right-of-way or obey a traffic sign or signal is the most frequent causes of motorist/bicycle crashes.

* More than 50 percent of crashes occur when the bicyclist and motorist are on crossing or perpendicular paths.

* More than 80 percent of crashes occur when a bicyclist is riding across a road.

* Sixty-one percent of crashes, and a majority of fatalities, occur when the bicyclist and motorist are traveling on parallel paths, whether in the same or in opposite directions. 

* In Minnesota, driver inattention or distraction is the second most common contributing factor to bicycle crashes involving motor vehicles.

* In 31 percent of crashes, the motorist is inattentive or distracted, and in 18 percent of crashes the bicyclist is inattentive or distracted.

* In an additional 11 percent of crashes, the motorist's vision is obscured or the motorist is otherwise unable to detect the bicyclist.

MnDOT’s “Share the Road” program focuses on eight rules for bicycle safety:

1. Bicyclists may ride on all Minnesota roads, except where restricted.

2. Bicyclists should ride on the road, and must ride in the same direction as traffic.

3. Motorists must at all times maintain a three-foot clearance when passing a bicyclist.

4. Bicyclists must obey all traffic control signs and signals, just as motorists.

5. Motorists and bicyclists must yield the right-of-way to each other.

6. Bicyclists should signal their turns and should ride in a predictable manner.

7. Lights and reflectors are required at night.

8. Bicyclists should always wear helmets.

Bike trails are not always available to bicyclists commuting to work or school destinations.

Most urban bike trails and paths are limited to 10 mph. Also, many bike trails are used by pedestrians, many with children and dogs, which can become obstacles for fast-moving bicycles.  Therefore, bicyclists who travel at speeds faster than 10 mph must travel on the road.