With rising gas prices, many drivers are opting to pick up riding motorcycles and mopeds instead of driving their cars. However, just as driving a car can be dangerous, so to is riding one of these two-wheeled vehicles, which draws attention to many safety issues.

If you are going to hop on a bike, you should always follow standard safety guidelines. Wearing your helmet is the easiest way to keep yourself alive when riding a motorcycle, moped, or any two wheeler.

According to experts, helmets saved the lives of more than 1,500 people last year. More than another 800 could have been saved if helmets were used.

John Duggins of Shenandoah Harley Davidson says, "I had a friend of mine die in Oklahoma but he wasn't wearing a helmet. He went over the handle bars of his bike, went over the hood of the car and hit his head on the pavement."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorcyclists speed more than twice as often as cars and light trucks. With this being the case, veteran bikers suggest understanding the roadways and familiarizing yourself with trouble spots.

Veteran rider Gary Reed says, "You got to know how and what speed the curves are and you need to be real safe."

The easiest way to be safe is to take a riders course. They teach you not only how to ride a motorcycle or moped, but to understand the differences between riding and driving and how it relates to being on the road.

Reed adds, "First I think I'd take a motorcycle course. There are so many vehicles on the road now and you know you need to take that course."

The next time you hop on your bike, remember wearing the proper safety equipment will not only keep you safe, it's also the law.

Duggins says, "In the state of Virginia, it's a law. Everyone has to wear a helmet."