EAST LANSING - The Ride of Silence, a biking event honoring those who have been killed or injured while riding bikes on the street, drew over 200 participants in its East Lansing event on Wednesday evening.

"Unfortunately that's quite a few people every year," Tim Potter, sustainable transportation manager at MSU Bikes, said. "Michigan last year had quite a spike, I heard about 50 percent in the fatalities and up to I think 33 is the official count from I think 21 or 22 on the prior year."

The Greater Lansing Ride of Silence was hosted by the TCBA Advocacy Committee and MSU bikes.

This year the event celebrated its 13th year of existence in the world.

"This whole thing started in Dallas Texas in 2003," Potter said. "Tonight there's over 395, probably over 400 events. It's a pretty exciting thing to be a part of, and we all try to start approximately at the same time, I mean same local time, so the first one actually happened 24 hours ago."

In 2015, there were over 357 events in 49 states of the U.S., 20 countries and 7 continents.

People of all ages were welcomed with smiles as they arrived, from children under five to people over 70-years-old.

Participants of the event met at the courtyard behind Wells Hall at Michigan State University at 6 p.m., where they signed in and lined up to bike 8.5 miles to the Capitol Building in Lansing.

Cyclists ride side by side silently and slow-paced – with a maximum speed of 12 mph.

They were sent off at 6:30 p.m. with the sounds of Bill Collins playing the bagpipes, and leading the pack is a bicycle with a trunk stating the cause on both sides.

Also in front and in the midst of the participants were police officers from Lansing and the state of Michigan, supporting the cause and guaranteeing the safety of the bikers.

Bikers who knew someone who was hit by a car and killed could wear a black band on their arm, while other who have been or know someone who has been injured in an accident could wear a red band.

"Any one of them is really a tragic incident, and we feel like there's a lot that could be done to help prevent those tragedies and that they're not accidents," Potter said.

After making their journey to the State Capitol, bikers gathered on the stairs of the Capitol Building to take pictures and hear the names of those who they know that have died.

Bikers listened intently as each of the speakers explained why it is important to have events like these.

Most said that drivers and cyclists must have awareness and rules to guarantee the safety of both.

"A lot of us who are here are advocates working in the area and around the state to help prevent those tragedies from happening in the future," Potter said.

Participants were required to wear helmets and bright clothes were recommended.

The Ride of Silence happens every year on the third Wednesday in May.

"So we are here to honor and also to celebrate the people who are working to make the roads safer for everyone," Potter said.