Warmer weather has given Amarillo-area motorcyclists
an opportunity to get out on their bikes and enjoy the spring weather, but it
has also led to an increase in motorcycle accidents and fatalities, prompting
one local group to spread the word about safety.
Since the beginning of 2017, the Amarillo Police
Department reports it has been called to the scene of four fatal motorcycle
accidents, three where the riders died and one where a pedestrian was walking
in the lanes of Interstate 40 and was hit by a motorcycle and died. The
motorcyclist was also seriously injured.
By comparison, APD was called to six fatal
motorcycle accidents in all of 2016.
Across Texas in 2015, the most recent year for
motorcycle crash statistics from the Texas Department of Transportation, 459
motorcycle drivers and passengers died as a result of accidents.
“We would definitely like to see these numbers go
down, since most vehicle accidents are avoidable,” APD Officer Jeb Hilton said
following a fatal motorcycle accident two weeks ago.
“With the weather getting nicer, we will see more
motorcycles out on the roads. We ask that vehicle drivers look twice before
changing lanes or making turns. We would ask that motorcycle riders be aware of
vehicles and keep a safe distance while riding.”
The Biker Recovery Organization, an Amarillo
nonprofit run entirely by volunteers and focused on helping the families of
motorcycle riders injured or killed in accidents, is hoping to educate riders
and the public about motorcycle safety.
“It has definitely hit us hard and brought us to
tears several times,” BRO President Billy Adams said of the recent motorcycle
deaths. “We’re trying to get tips and information and whatever we can out there
for people.”
Amarillo is on a list of the top cities in the
nation for registered motorcycle riders per capita, according to Adams, so both
safety and awareness are two big issues for Amarillo drivers and riders.
“Our motto is, ‘One bike down is one too many,’”
Adams said.
A big point of contention between riders and safety
advocates is the use of helmets. Texas is one of 31 states where riders are not
required to wear a helmet at all times.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, in states where a helmet is not required, about 57 percent of
riders wear one.
In Amarillo’s four fatal motorcycle accidents this
year, two cyclists were not wearing helmets and in one accident it was not
possible to determine whether a helmet was being used at the time of the crash.
In the I-40 accident involving a pedestrian, the motorcyclist was wearing a
helmet, but his critical injuries were on his legs and torso.
Of the 459 Texas motorcycle accident deaths in 2015,
240 — 52 percent — were not wearing helmets, according to TxDOT reports.
Adams said BRO promotes helmet use to all of its
members.
“We need to make a commitment deal where they come
in and promise to wear one, sort of like how people do with texting and
driving,” Adams said. “We promote wearing (a helmet), but the problem is that
so many of the riders won’t.”
Adams and BRO hope to raise helmet awareness and
overall motorcycle safety when they host their annual fundraiser on Sunday at
Tripp’s Harley-Davidson. The event begins at 11 a.m.
There will be motorcycle safety course teachers
advising riders on defensive riding, along with safety representatives from
TxDOT, bike runs, riding simulators, booths, food and drink, games and other
activities.
Adams hopes the day will help make everyone more
aware of motorcycles on the city’s streets.
“We’re just getting started,” Adams said.
“But safety and awareness is what we’re preaching.
Our goal is safety and we want to get that our there.”
And APD encourages their efforts.
“The Amarillo Police Department encourages all
drivers to drive the speed limit, obey all traffic laws, pay attention to what
you and other drivers are doing, and cut out as many distractions as you can
while driving,” Hilton said.
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