A video released by the El Paso Police Department is a frightening reminder of just how vulnerable motorcycle police officers can be while working alongside moving traffic.

The incident happened in El Paso, Texas, when a police motorcycle officer was conducting a traffic stop and a distracted driver came dangerously close to striking him.

The video captures the officer working near the roadway when another vehicle suddenly veers toward the traffic stop. In a matter of seconds, what appeared to be a routine police stop became a potentially deadly situation.

The officer narrowly avoided being hit.

A Motorcycle Officer Has Nowhere to Hide

Motorcycle police officers face many of the same dangers as civilian motorcyclists—but they often spend their entire shift exposed to them.

Unlike an officer sitting inside a patrol car, a motorcycle officer has no steel passenger compartment surrounding him. When he’s stopped on the shoulder, directing traffic or standing next to his motorcycle, he’s essentially a pedestrian with a motorcycle.

That makes distracted drivers particularly dangerous.

A driver looking down at a cellphone for only a few seconds can travel the length of a football field without properly seeing what’s ahead. For a motorcycle officer working inches from traffic, that can be enough time for a routine stop to become a fatal crash.

The Same Danger Civilian Riders Face

The frightening part of this video is that motorcycle riders encounter this exact danger every day.

A rider stopped on the shoulder with a flat tire. A motorcyclist waiting at an intersection. A group of bikes pulled over together. A rider sitting at a traffic light.

In every case, the rider is depending on approaching drivers to actually see them.

And as the El Paso video demonstrates, being visible doesn’t always mean you’re safe.

Motorcyclists can wear bright clothing, use auxiliary lighting and position themselves carefully, but none of that can completely protect them from a driver who isn’t looking at the road.

Give Motorcycles—and Motor Officers—Room

The El Paso incident should serve as a wake-up call to drivers: when you see a police motorcycle, another motorcycle or any vehicle stopped alongside the road, slow down and move over.

Don’t assume the rider or officer has seen you.

Don’t assume you’ll have time to react.

And most importantly, don’t look away from the road.

For the motorcycle officer in El Paso, a few inches may have been the difference between walking away from the traffic stop and becoming another name on a list of officers killed while working along America’s roadways.

For motorcycle cops and civilian riders alike, distracted drivers are a danger that can appear without warning.