State launches Texas motorcycle awareness campaign

Motorcyclists are 26 times more likely to die in a car accident than car and truck drivers, according to figures released by the Texas Department of Transportation, which has launched its annual spring awareness campaign.

“We’ve used the late spring and early summer because this is when the riding season starts,” department spokesman Val Lopez said. “Motorcyclists go out and enjoy the scenery, the wildflowers, so we focus on this time of year because that’s when a lot of them get pulled out from the garage and start hitting the highways.”

In 2015, there were 455 motorcycle fatalities in Texas, an average of more than eight per week, according to the department.

“Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” will travel to five metro areas throughout May, stopping at events such as the Celebrate Killeen Festival on April 30 and a Round Rock Express baseball game in Austin on May 10. A stop is also planned for Dallas but details have not been decided.

Lopez said 430,000 motorcycles are registered in Texas, the third-most in the nation behind California and Florida.

From 2004 to 2014 in Texas, motorcycle fatalities increased by 58 percent, from 291 fatalities to 459. In the same period, passenger car fatalities decreased by 16 percent.

“We have a responsibility to look out for them because they’re much more exposed and vulnerable to serious injury and death when they’re involved in a crash,” Lopez said. “Even a minor collision with a car or truck can be just devastating for the cyclists.”

Lopez said it’s important for drivers to give motorcycles more room than they would give larger vehicles.

Lopez said the campaign cost $500,000 and is paid for by a grant from the National Traffic Safety Highway Administration.

This story was originally published May 4, 2016 at 6:41 AM with the headline "State launches Texas motorcycle awareness campaign."