By Libby Cluett
lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com

With gas prices rising, more and more Texans are trading their gas-guzzlers for more fuel-efficient motorcycles and scooters to save at the pump.

“Registered motorcycles are at an all-time high in Texas,” said Carlos Lopez, traffic operations director for the Texas Department of Transportation.

“We’re reminding drivers to be on the lookout for the nearly 400,000 motorcyclists on Texas roadways, especially at intersections where many crashes happen.”

Because of the recent trend, TxDOT and the Texas Motorcycle Roadriders Association have teamed up to cosponsor a motorcycle safety campaign encouraging all drivers to take extra caution and watch for motorcyclists on roadways.

“More motorcycles on the road means more motorcyclists may crash and ultimately die on Texas roadways,” states a recent TxDOT announcement. “In 2006, 346 motorcyclists were killed on Texas roads, which is nearly ten percent of all fatalities.”

According to Steve Smith, owner of Mineral Wells’ Smitty’s Cycles, riding in Texas on two wheels with the wind whipping the face is “more feasible in Texas versus a state like Minnesota.”

He said this means there are more days available to commute to work on a motorcycle or scooter.

“Riding out here is safer,” he said, citing the lower amount of traffic compared to the Metroplex. “But you have to contend with the gas trucks.”

Smith said Palo Pinto County’s unique terrain and scenic roads are especially appealing to recreational bikers. Places like Farm-to-Market Road 4 become a mecca for people on two and four wheels, but it’s also where many motorcycles have wrecked, causing injuries or fatalities each year.

“The ability to remain safe is decreasing as long as we’re sharing the road with cars and an increase in gas-production trucks,” said Smith, who said he sees the large trucks running 24/7.

Smith also sees hints of promise in more motorcyclists on the roads.

“Maybe it’s a good thing that there are more people [on two-wheels] on the road,” he said, citing the potential for increased awareness among drivers of all vehicles if they see more riders on bicycles, motorcycles and scooters.


Safety course

Over the weekend, Bob Franke taught a motorcycle safety course at the Mineral Wells Campus of Weatherford College.

Franke is with the Motorcycle Safety Unit of the Texas Department of Public Safety and suggests the course to any new rider.

He said the course teaches riders how to use the clutch, throttle, front brakes and all operations of a motorcycle.

“Riders learn where to look, where to lean, how to ride through curves and things you’d otherwise learn the hard way,” said Franke.

“It is rarely a single cause that caused a motorcycle accident,” he said, citing that many variables come into play in drivers and riders safely sharing the road.

Learning the important skills in a controlled environment “is the whole purpose for the course is rider safety,” he said. “Everyone has to use them sooner or later.”

“Classes are filling up and we’re seeing longer and longer waiting lists,” Franke said of the motorcycle safety classes taught throughout the state.


New riders

While some motorcycle dealers said they have seen experienced motorcyclists making purchases, some indicated they are seeing new riders.

New motorcyclists may face many obstacles beyond the availability or purchase price of a bike. Franke noted that in defensive driving courses little is said about motorcycles.

Palo Pinto’s Beth Ray is owner of DriveSafe, which teaches defensive driving throughout the state. She said the state regulates the content of defensive driving courses and has added “so many things” to the curriculum, like segments on not littering the roads, organ donations and the dangers of leaving a child in a vehicle.

“It keeps adding,” she said, noting that there is less time now to address driver’s safety and attention to motorcycles.

“It’s down to 5 minutes or less; it used to be a 20-minute video,” she said.

“The small size of motorcycles often makes them hard to see, and motorcyclists can get lost in blind spots,” states the TxDOT campaign.

Franke admits that people are safest riding on four wheels.

Several motorcycle riders concurred that those riding on two wheels need to consider themselves invisible on the roads.