(Radio Iowa) – Bicycling enthusiasts will hold somber rides in six Iowa communities tonight as part of an international movement called the Ride of Silence.

Iowa Bicycle Coalition executive director Luke Hoffman will be speaking prior to the 21st annual ride in Des Moines, which aims to memorialize and call attention to the cyclists who were injured or killed in collisions with motor vehicles over the past year.

“We do a reading of the folks who have been hit and killed since the last Ride of Silence, so we list all those folks out,” Hoffman says, “and then we proceed from there to do kind of a demonstration, so for every person whose name is read, somebody walks up onto this area and then lays down to represent the person who’s been hit.”

After the short program, everyone gets on their bikes for a deliberately slow group trek through town.

Bike Iowa image from last year’s Des Moines ride

Hoffman says, “We kind of do a slow ride and as the name indicates, it’s a silent ride where we’re very slow, almost like a funeral procession, to remember those who have been hit and killed.”

Four cyclists were killed by vehicles in Iowa last year. In a typical year, another 350 cyclists are injured in such collisions, but an official with Bike Iowa says the actual number of injuries may be three times higher, as police reports aren’t always filed.

Hoffman says Iowa cyclists scored a significant victory with this year’s passage of the so-called Hands Free law by state legislators. It will allow law officers to pull over and warn anyone holding a cell phone while driving, and beginning in January, fine them up to $100. While that’s a deterrent to distracted driving, Hoffman says the work isn’t done.

“Iowa is one of the 13 states that does not have a safe passing law, meaning, a defined and reasonable distance for a vehicle passing a bike,” he says. “We’ve been arguing for many years for a full lane, but we’d of course love just something — three feet, six feet — to help protect people. We know that this is important because the number-one reason why people are getting killed is because someone was passing too closely.”

Along with Des Moines, Rides of Silence are also being held tonight in: Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Charles City, Mason City and Sioux City. In addition, rides are being held in more than 200 cities across the U.S. and in at least 15 other countries.