TxDOT Urges Drivers To 'Look Twice For Motorcycles' To Decrease Motorcycles Fatalities
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TxDOT Urges Drivers To 'Look Twice For Motorcycles' To Decrease Motorcycles Fatalities

501 motorcyclists died in 2017 in crashes on Texas roads

April 26, 2018

AUSTIN – As part of National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in May, the Texas Department of Transportation’s “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign is urging drivers to watch carefully for motorcycles. Crashes killed 501 and seriously injured another 2,101 motorcyclists in Texas last year.

“Nobody wants to take a life in a crash or lose a loved one,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. “Motorcycles are small, they’re hard to see, and it can be difficult to judge their speed and distance. That’s why it’s critical that drivers take extra precautions to look twice for motorcycles, especially at intersections.”

Intersections are particularly risky areas for serious crashes involving motorcycles. From 2010 to 2015,

25 percent of crashes involving motorcycles occurred when one vehicle turned left in front of an oncoming motorcycle, likely due to the driver not seeing the oncoming motorcycle.

Motorcycle crashes also are more severe than other types of crashes because motorcycles lack the protective and safety features of other vehicles.

To help everyone arrive safely at their destination, TxDOT’s “Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign urges drivers to:

·        Look twice for motorcycles, especially at intersections.

·        Always assume motorcycles are closer than they appear.

·        Avoid turning in front of an oncoming motorcycle.

·        Use turn signals and check blind spots before changing lanes.

·        Avoid following a motorcycle too closely.

·        Give motorcyclists a full lane.

·        Obey posted speed limits.

This year’s “Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign will conduct events around the state to coincide with National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and the start of the spring/summer driving season. The stops will feature a virtual reality game designed to educate motorists to look twice for motorcycles. Campaign tour stops are:

 

·        April 26 - El Paso

·        April 28 - San Antonio

·        April 29 - Corpus Christi

·        May 4 - Austin

·        May 5 - Temple

·        May 6 - Houston

·        May 18 - Dallas-Fort Worth (Frisco)

·        May 19 - Midland

 

To learn more about the campaign, visit TxDOT’s website.

For media inquiries, contact TxDOT Media Relations at MediaRelations@txdot.gov or (512) 463-8700.

The information contained in this report represents reportable data collected from the Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report (CR-3). This information was received and processed by the department as of April 12, 2018.

Media contact
TxDOT Media Relations
April 26, 2018