The Texas Department of Transportation is launching a statewide campaign “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles”.
This campaign is to help remind drivers to remain alert and watch carefully for motorcycles as part of National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in May.
TxDot says more than half of fatal motorcycle crashes result from collisions with other vehicles.
A rise in the number of motorcycle deaths in Texas last year inspired the Texas Department of Transportation to kick off the new “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” awareness campaign.
“There is a little bit of good news. Last year motorcycle fatalities decreased by 17 percent, but there is still work to do because in 2018 there were 417 motorcycle fatalities on Texas roads,” said TXDOT Public Information Officer Rickey Dailey.
According to TX DOT officials, during this time of year is when they start to see a spike in motorcycle crashes.
“Most of the motorcycle deaths in Texas in 2018 occurred in July. There were 55 deaths statewide. So as the weather gets better, more motorists get on the road, and there is that potential for fatalities,” said Dailey.
TxDOT says drivers often forget that motorcyclists don’t have seat belts, airbags or big steel doors to protect them.
“In 2018 in TxDot 10 county district of the Corpus Christi district there were 201 crashes and more than half of those, 124, were in Corpus Christi. So the urban areas need a little more extra caution for motorists and motorcyclists. We had in the TxDot district, we had 14 motorcycle deaths in 2018 and 3 of those deaths were in Corpus Christi, ” said Dailey.
Motorcycles can be difficult to see so it’s important for drivers to look twice, especially before turning at intersections or changing lanes.
“It is hard to judge the speed and distance of a motorcycle, in fact 30 percent of motorcycle deaths in 2018 were interception related,” said Dailey.
On average, a motorcyclist dies in a crash on Texas roads every day. In 2018, 417 riders lost their lives and 920 were seriously injured in crashes.
Each year at the end of April, many Texas cities issue proclamations that observe May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.
During this period, TxDOT’s “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign will make stops at baseball games and festivals in Texas communities where guests can participate in activities that highlight motorcycle safety.
This Friday, May 10, they will be at Whataburger Field from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.
In 2018, 30 percent of Texas motorcycle fatalities were in an intersection or intersection related. Typically, other contributing factors in Texas motorcycle fatalities are: Speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to drive in a single lane.
• In 2018, Texas motorcycle crashes killed 417 motorcyclists and seriously injured 1,920 motorcyclists.
In 2018, the number of motorcycle traffic crashes in Corpus Christi totaled 124. These crashes resulted in 27 motorcyclist injured, and killed another three motorcyclists last year.
• Give motorcyclists a full lane.
