LUBBOCK, Texas — More motorcyclists are hitting the roads, which means everyone needs to watch out for each other. According to the Lubbock Police Department, since January, seven motorcyclists have been killed in the City of Lubbock. Officers responded to a total of 26 crashes in just the first few months of the year.
Sergeant Johnny Bures with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said as the weather warms up, motorcyclists will hit the highway and hope that everyone is cautious and careful.
“We’ve seen a recent uptick in motorcycle crashes and as the weather starts to turn nice and the wind slows down just a little bit, we’ll start seeing a lot more folks riding motorcycles,” Bures said.
Bures said they’re asking drivers to be cautious of each other and check twice, before moving over.
“Whether you’re riding a motorcycle or you’re in your car pickup truck that you’re watching out for each other in trucks and cars, make sure that you’re looking before you lane change, looking before you turn out into the intersection,” Bures said.
The state requires motorcyclists to take a safety training course in order to get their license, and Bures said motorcyclists are not always to blame.
“A lot of times these folks that are involved in motorcycle crashes, you know, it’s not always their fault or they weren’t the ones that were the contributing factor to the crash, sometimes they just weren’t seen,” Bures said. “These courses can provide a lot of training to help you watch out and take that extra vigilance as you’re riding down the road to make sure that you are seeing them before they pull out and what you can do to be seen also.”
Bures said everyone in the vehicle can be on the lookout, and help keep everyone in and outside of the vehicle safe.
“The biggest thing is just to not drive distracted, focus on the task at hand and that’s getting to your destination safely,” Bures. “Put those distractions down, eliminate those as best you can, If you have other folks in the vehicle, get them to help you out too, if you’re a passenger, you know, really help your drivers too, and watch out for those motorcycles, especially on your side of the vehicle as they’re going out into intersections.”
LPD has already reported more motorcycle crashes in 2023 versus this time last year
