MOTORCYCLE SAFETY IN TEXAS DJ Jeffries Texas Department

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY IN TEXAS DJ Jeffries Texas Department of Transportation

It’s Just in the Blood… 2

3

WHO IS THE PROBLEM? Older v. Younger

WHERE IS THE PROBLEM? Rural v. Urban

Other Considerations §Helmet Usage §Training §Licensing §Alcohol Use 6

Helmet Usage in Texas ØHelmet Law repealed in 1997 v. Helmet Usage in 1997 was 99. 7% v. Helmet Usage in 1998 dropped to 66. 9% v. Low Helmet Usage recorded in 2004 at 49. 2% v. By 2010, Helmet Usage was 57. 1% 7

The Scope of the problem Ø 440, 442 registered motorcycles in Texas Ørate per 10 K registrations were almost 12 per 10 K ØHelmet usage was hovering at 55% ØAlcohol involvement was 45% Ø 40% were unlicensed to operate

Motorcycle Fatalities - Why § 48% Single Motorcycle Crashes –Off the road to the right / striking fixed object –Lost control on roadway § 52% Involved another vehicle –Failure to Yield to motorcycle –Motorcycle rear ends another vehicle 9

v Program management v Evaluation and research v Personal protective gear v Motorcycle operator licensing MOTORCYCLE ASSESSMENT NHTSA – 2 nd Quarter, 2014 v Rider education and training v Alcohol and other drugs v Motorcycle conspicuity v Motorist awareness programs v Public information and education

So What did we find out? 11

Motorcycle Fatalities in Texas - Who § 20 -29 Year old males §Helmeted / Gear / Speed 12

Motorcycle Fatalities in Texas - Who § 40 -49 Year old males §No Helmet / Limited Gear / Alcohol 13

Motorcycle Fatalites – State of Texas – Where? Austin Houston Dallas / Fort Worth San Antonio El Paso Waco Ø 59 counties in these seven districts Ø 23 % of all the counties in Texas. Ø 71. 25 % of all MC registrations in Texas. Ørepresent 67. 8 % of all motorcycle fatalities. 14

Major Issues in Texas § No License to operate motorcycle § Failure to Yield Right of Way § Lack of basic gear § Alcohol involvement 15

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY PROGRAM What we were doing and what we changed

v Rider Training v Media Events v TMSC Awareness

• Basic Rider Course • Experienced Rider Course RIDER EDUCATION Certified Rider Training Courses • Instructor Courses • Specialized Courses

MEDIA EVENTS Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

All across Texas EVENTS Motorist Awareness Events

v. Brochures and PI&E Material v. Events v. Poster Series

CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS Racing Facility, Austin

• Moto GP Motorcycle Race • Formula 1 Race • V 8 Super Cars • “X” Games CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS • American Le. Mans • Grand Am of the Americas • 20 Concerts during the year

• Added Internet Based training modules RIDER EDUCATION Texas DPS Motorcycle Safety Unit • Placed expiration on MSB-8 • Working to merge training files with Driver’s License Files • SB 754 - Funding

PARTNERSHIPS Yes, THAT COC&I

Bikers went to work… 26

And kept at it… 27

Legislative ØSB 754, sponsored by Senator Kirk Watson, passed into law on September 1 st. ØAllocates the Funds collected from License Fees to DPS ØIncreases the DPS MSU budget from $440, 000 a year to $2. 1 Million ØDriven and lobbied by the COC&I and Training Instructor Association 28

Yard Signs 29

Safety and Awareness Partners 30

Proclamations for Cities for Awareness Month 31

Getting the Message Out 32

Helmets across Texas 33

Even these guys 34

What Happened ? § Helmet Usage 66. 2% in 2014 and climbing § Fatalities drop 9. 2% in 2014 from 502 - 463 § Projected decline of +/- 6% in 2015 § Projected 1 point decline in rate per 10 K MC § All with increases of 45 k MC registrations 35

v. Crash Causation Study v. Gear Use Study /Material v. Partner with COC&I v. Partner with COTA

Printed Materials § www. looklearnlive. org § Media Tab – List and examples of all materials from campaigns and others sites for Texas Specific Material § Can get copies from TTI 37

Questions? DJ JEFFRIES DANIEL. JEFFRIES@TXDOT. GOV