SANILAC COUNTY, MI – In memory of a son, friend and loved one, a group of supporters are one step closer to saving more lives by making driver education courses more informational.

Nathan's Law, which requires that driver education courses in Michigan include lessons on bicycle and motorcycle awareness and safety, passed unanimously out of the House and has the support of 89 co-sponsors that joined bill sponsor State Rep. Terry Brown, D-pigeon.

The law was proposed in memory of Nathan Bower who died on May 6, 2009, at age 19 after he was struck by a vehicle while riding on his motorcycle in Brown City only a few miles from his Peck home.

A total of 128 motorcyclists were killed in Michigan crashes in 2013, according to Michigan State Police reports.

Five years later, Bower's family and friends still feel his loss. But the hopes of getting this law passed give them purpose, said Tammy Bower, Bower's mother.

"It's amazing. I keep saying that," Tammy Bower said. "Just to be able to have Nathan's name out there and we know what his reason for life was: To get this bill out there to start saving other people's lives."

The bill had a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday and it is scheduled for a vote in the committee Tuesday, Sept. 30.

It's possible it will go to a vote on the Senate floor the next day.

"We are thrilled that the Senate has taken up this bill for a hearing and eventual passage. This bill will save lives," said Brown in a written statement. "It's an example of putting aside differences and supporting legislation that protects our citizens who share our roadways."

Lisa Cook-Gordon, who knew the Bower family through her son, suggested the bill idea to Brown on May 6, 2013, the fourth anniversary of Nathan Bower's death.

The goal of Nathan's Law is to teach new drivers from the start how to be aware of motorcyclists and bicyclists, how to share the road and keep everyone safe, Cook-Gordon said.

If the bill passes, there would be added requirements for Segment 1 driver training courses to include "information concerning the law pertaining to bicycles and motorcycles and shall emphasize awareness of their operation on the streets, roads and highways of the state," according to the bill language.

"A lot of time, cyclists or motorcyclists are hit because they aren't seen. I see it as a way to protect motorcyclists and bicyclists and everyone else who shares the road," Cook-Gordan said. "I want to, and so does the family ... save other families to go through tragic loss. When you lose somebody in an accident like this, you never get over it.

"Be aware. Look twice. How are you going to travel? How are you going to pass? Those types of things. Our goal is to teach people to be aware."

In attendance Tuesday to testify were Cook-Gordon, Tammy Bower, and Ruth Hayward-O'Mally, Nathan's grandmother.

State Sen. Jim Ananich, who is a member of the Senate Transportation Committee and was in attendance during Tuesday's presentation, is in favor of the bill.

"Representative Terry Brown's bill to create Nathan's Law is a great example of grassroots advocacy and determination," said Ananich, D-Flint. "Thanks to the efforts of Representative Brown and these dedicated families, I expect this legislation that will help make our communities safer will be approved swiftly in the Legislature."

The hope is to be able to sign the law into resolution on Nathan's birthday, Oct. 14.

That would be the ultimate birthday present, Tammy Bower said.

She described her son as a fun-loving young man that everybody loved. He was always there to help people when they needed it, his mother said.

"He had a smile that would just light up the room. When he walked in he always had hugs for everybody," Tammy Bower said. "Two things I really miss with Nathan, number one his hugs. Number two, I miss hearing him say 'I love you mom.' He truly was everybody's friend."

The accident and the loss of her son is something that will never leave her, she said. The accident took place just outside of Peck, roughly 40 miles northeast of Lapeer.

It was the corner of Shepherd Road and M-90, 4 miles from their home and three miles from where Tammy Bower works. Every day she passes that corner, sees the cross the family has placed there.

On May 6, 2009, Nathan Bower was on his way to go look at a vehicle he wanted to purchase. A vehicle that was stopped began to travel through the intersection, hitting Bower as he crossed, Tammy Bower said. The driver didn't take a second look, she said.

"Every day I live it going back to that corner. Being a parent, every time I go to that corner I always blow a kiss that way," Tammy Bower said. "Some days it's harder than others. I will just get talking to him coming to that corner. We don't want any other families to have to go through this again. Heaven forbid."

To keep updated on Nathan's Law, follow its Facebook page at Nathans Law HB 5438.