The Austin police department issued a call for safety after the fourth motorcycle accident death in one week, KVUE reported.
A total of five motorcycle accident-related deaths have been reported in Austin since January 1, 2015. Four of them occurred between March 23rd and March 30th.
“In 2015 so far 80 percent of our motorcycle crashes have been a motor vehicle vs a motorcycle and there’s been a 66 percent increase in fatal motorcycle accidents compared to last year,” said Police Commander Art Fortune.
Often times, the motorcycle’s smaller size may reduce visibility for people with large vehicles. Sometimes the other drivers don’t notice the bike nearby or they misjudge the following distance between their vehicle and the motorcycle.
Austin resident Charles Darden has been riding a motorcycle since he was 14-years-old. Darden advises his fellow bike riders to watch out for the other driver. “Defensive driving all the way or else you’ll probably be down on the pavement….You can usually tell when someone’s about to pull into your lane, cut you off, make a left-hand turn in front of you.”
“Just watch the bikes,” Darden asks of the other motorists. “I mean these guys they have lights on please pay attention to the bikes coming up.”
In attempt to end the disturbing trend of fatal motorcycle accidents, Austin police are asking all drivers—not just motorcycle riders—to slow down, not weave in and out of traffic and to limit distractions.
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