(College Station)—TTI's Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) has been awarded two separate contracts totaling approximately $260,000 to address alcohol-impaired motorcycle riding and to improve motorcycle safety and increase motorcycle awareness.
In the first contract, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the CTS, in collaboration with the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, will conduct a study on the programs and activities targeted at reducing motorcycle crashes, deaths and injuries resulting from drinking and riding.
"Motorcyclists have the highest intoxication rates among all road users involved in fatal crashes," said Associate Research Scientist Patricia Turner. "Because motorcycle riding requires greater physical skills and balance than driving a car, any amount of alcohol puts a rider at greater risk for crashes, injuries and death."
The research also includes examining data and statistics on alcohol-impaired motorcycle crashes and developing recommendations on how to reduce the number of crashes, fatalities and injuries associated with alcohol-impaired motorcycle operation.
In the second contract, awarded by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), TTI researchers will work with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to develop a new statewide motorcycle safety campaign set to kick off in Texas in 2007.
"The campaign goals are to increase interest in attending motorcycle
safety courses as well as motorist awareness of motorcycles, and to reduce
the number of motorcycle crashes, injuries and deaths on Texas roads," said
Clifford Burdette, coordinator of the DPS Motorcycle & ATV Safety Training
Unit. 