The Texas Department of Transportation is launching a public safety awareness campaign focused on decreasing the frequency of collisions between motorcyclists and motorists through a series of English and Spanish language advertisements on TV, radio, and billboards along roads in the state’s major metropolitan centers such as El Paso, Austin, Dallas, and Houston. The central message of the department’s “Share the Road” campaign is “seeing them is saving them.” If drivers are more attentively looking for motorcycles and motorcyclists take steps to be more visible, the campaign suggests, the roads will be safer for both drivers and bikers.
According to information provided by the Dallas Police Department’s Traffic Unit the number of commuters riding motorcycles in the Dallas metropolitan region has steadily increased since the economic downturn of 2008, increasing the likelihood of collisions involving motorcycles. Data collected from local law enforcement agencies by the Texas Department of Transportation records 470 motorcycle fatalities in 2011, an increase of approximately 40 from the year previous, and drivers of larger vehicles reported not having seen the motorcyclists prior to the collision in approximately 50 percent of these accidents.
The Share the Road campaign reminds motorists to keep a lookout for motorcycles on the roadways and maintain a safe following distance from them to allow for adequate reaction time.
As a Fresno car accident lawyer I hope this campaign and others like it are successful in making the roads safer for everyone. If you or someone you love has been injured in a motorcycle or automobile accident, please consider hiring a Fresno personal injury attorney.