Bicyclists across the Quad Cities gathered Wednesday night to ride in silence and solidarity with those injured or killed on the road.

There have been four fatal bicycle accidents in the Quad Cities since the Quad City Bicycle Club’s last Ride of Silence, making now more important than ever to remind drivers, they share the road.

“A lot of people have people that they’ve lost, that they’ve lost in one way or another, been struck by the cars,” said Dean Mathias, one of the organizers of the ride. “So it’s a way to galvanize that interest.”

As about 25 cyclists took off from Schweibert Park in Rock Island, similar Rides of Silence started all across the country.

“The reason we’re doing it is to honor bicyclists who have been killed or injured in a crash with a motor vehicle, and to bring awareness to motorists that we have a legal right to the road,” said Deb Mathias, secretary of the Quad Cities Bicycle Club and an organizer. “We’re all out there riding on our own much of the time. But here we all come together as one unit. To make a statement.”

The cyclists wound through Augustana campus, to Riverside Park in Moline, and all the way back again, in silence the whole time.

“Every time I go out, I think about safety and I think about whether or not people are gonna see me.” said Dawn Wohlford, a member of the QCBC board.