Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition Meeting

Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition Agenda

Thursday, June 12, 2025
10:00 am – noon

10:00 – 10:10 AM: Opening Remarks & Introductions

10:10 – 10:25 AM: Guest Speaker: Rob Mallory, Staff Sergent, Texas Highway Patrol

10:25 – 10:40 AM: Task Force Update

• Educational Outreach to Law Enforcement and Judiciary to increase motorcyclist licensure
• 2025 motorcycle legislation update
• Motorcycle Safety Forum 2025 Update

10:40 – 11:00 AM: Guest Speaker: Shanisty Villanueva, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation

11:00 – 11:10 AM: BREAK

11:10 – 11:40 AM: Texas Crash Data

• Texas Strategic Highway Safety Plan
• Crash Records Information System Query

11:40 AM – Noon: Open Forum (open)

• What events or efforts are happening in your area?
• What topic would you like to hear about next meeting?

Noon: Adjourn

Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition Meeting Minutes

June 12, 2025, 10:00 am – noon
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Headquarters RM 1140 & Teams

Welcome & Agenda (mm 00:05:16)

Cathy Brooks welcomed everyone and outlined the meeting agenda. The meeting included presentations on safety initiatives from Sgt. Mallory, TDLR updates, and an overview of motorcycle crash data by Marci Perez from TTI.

Guest Speaker: Rob Mallory, Staff Sergent, Texas Highway Patrol (mm 00:07:46)

Sergeant Mallory shared a safety video created for Motorcycle Safety Month, which was posted on the South Texas DPS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1136422951865405&id=100064931310636&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=p8lSfZq4KtkHtc9H&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2Fv%2F14EBVh9R6vB%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr# . The video was created to promote motorcycle safety and is a part of an outreach effort to engage the audience in a relatable way.

The video highlighted a staged encounter to address common causes of motorcycle crashes for drivers and riders. Avoiding distractions, checking mirrors and blind spots, using turn signals, and giving motorcycles extra space are the key messages in the video. Additionally, riders are reminded to wear protective gear, maintain their vehicles, and stay visible.

Sergeant Mallory mentioned that the video was a team effort, with real troopers who are riders themselves. To highlight the importance of continued education, he spoke about recent tragedies- the loss of a DPS officer during a funeral procession and a fatal hit-and-run in Corpus Christi.

Task Force Update (mm 00:19:04)

Cathy provided an update on the 2025 TMSC Task Force. The special project plan focuses on unlicensed motorcycle riders involved in crashes, including outreach to riders, law enforcement, and the judiciary to promote proper training and licensure.

Based on the citation records, the preliminary data showed a rise in crashes involving unlicensed riders. The task force plans to improve communication involving licensing laws and work with stakeholders to support education.

Any volunteers to provide input on material type and content are greatly appreciated.  Feedback is encouraged over the next month to help guide development.

Comment from Sergeant Mallory – The Corpus Christi Municipal Court and the DPS partnered to address citations among unlicensed motorcycle riders. As part of plea deals, individuals attend sessions where they are guided through the licensing process. The approach has been effective and is being considered as a possible model for other courts to improve licensing compliance.

Cathy shared that Kim Sailor is coordinating interviews with law enforcement and court staff to clarify if safety courses can resolve citations. Materials will be shared once finalized.

Cathy shared that the Texas Motorcycle Safety Forum, held on May 3^rd, had under 100 attendees. The event was well-received, with great engagement, and the speakers received positive feedback. The “Stop the Bleed” course was impactful and had 14 to 16 participants. Everyone who helped make the event a success was appreciated.

Forum notes as videos can be found on the website: https://www.looklearnlive.org/event/the-2025-texas-motorcycle-safety-forum/#minutes.

Legislative update (mm 00:23:37)

Cathy presented a list of state House and Senate bills pertaining to motorcycles:

House Bill 4904- Jude Schexnyder highlighted contributions from Keith Rovell and Matt Ruszczak in advocating for this bill. The bill was sent to the Governor on May 31, and a decision is expected by late June.

Senate Bill 296 was adopted without the Governor’s signature and will also be effective from September 1.

House Bill 3642, addressing motorcycle memorial signage was passed. If the rider was impaired at the time of the crash, memorials will not be permitted.

Guest Speaker: Shanisty Villanueva, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (mm 00:29:15)

Shanisty reviewed the process of the Instructor Training Provider (ITP). Individuals interested should contact a curriculum provider for course completion. Certificates must include the instructor’s name, license number, title, and expiration date for smooth processing.  Course completions must be reported within five business days. The TDLR website has guidelines and the program rules available. Instructors are listed in both VERSA and the RIMS database.

Schools must track expiration dates and submit renewals 60 to 90 days early, as background checks take time. Although most schools report completions, many fail to submit quarterly reports. Therefore, TDLR will begin monitoring this. For serious cases, injury reports are required within two business days, and within three for others. Audits are delayed by staffing and legislative changes, but will resume. Rule revisions are planned with input from workgroups. New advisory board members are to be appointed on July 8.

David Jones asked if background checks completed under DPS were transferred to TDLR. Shanisty clarified that they were not, as TDLR is a separate agency and all individuals must complete a new fingerprint and background check.

Jones raised concerns about riders trained only on track bikes operating on public roads without formal training. Michael “Ford” Strawn explained that a new Transportation Specialist will serve as a liaison to clarify standards and to differentiate formal training from informal instruction.

Jones also asked how TDLR staff stay updated on curriculum-specific procedures when schools face investigations despite following approved guidelines. Ford said that the new specialist will help improve internal understanding of testing, scoring, and instructor discretion.

Jones inquired whether instructors could receive support during enforcement misunderstandings. Ford confirmed they can reach out to him for advocacy and agency coordination.

Shanisty encouraged everyone to sign up for updates and participate in upcoming rule changes. Shanisty confirmed that three new board members are expected to be appointed at the July 8 Commission meeting and agreed to publicly post her slide deck.

Texas Crash Data (mm 01:13:45)

• Texas Strategic Highway Safety Plan

• Crash Records Information System Query

Data Tools & Crash Dashboard Presentation – Marci Perez (TTI)

Marci Perez walked through two online tools designed to support crash data access and analysis. First, the Texas Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) dashboard allows users to filter and explore crash data, particularly incidents related to motorcycles. The second tool, the TxDOT Online Query Tool enables users to retrieve crash data by various crash characteristics and fields (like city, county, or district-level).

Marci demonstrated filtering for fatal injuries involving motorcycles with fields like crash type, roadway ownership, urban vs. rural designation, and light conditions. From 2020 to 2024, there was an upward trend in motorcycle fatalities. Venn diagrams showed overlaps in crash factors. The details of 2,682 fatal motorcycle crashes were mentioned along with age group trends, frequency of daytime crashes, and geographic breakdowns. The dashboard was described as dynamic with customizable filters.

Kylie asked about using the dashboard’s data in external presentations. Marci confirmed that the SHSP dashboard is a public resource, and it can be used with citation.

TxDOT CRIS Query Tool Demonstration

Filtering options include motorcycle person types, years, and custom geographic areas using a map tool. The “TxDOT Reportable Flag” helps filter crashes that occurred on public roads that involved injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,000. Non-reportable examples are parking lot crashes or those caused by medical emergencies.

Columns such as crash ID, date, severity, location, and contributing factors can be selected to export as pivot tables and geographic analysis. The advanced options include generating attribute lists with details like vehicle make, body style, helmet use, age, gender, injury severity, and up to five contributing factors.

Selecting the right fields allows for deeper analysis of the condition, as each crash involves multiple vehicles and persons. Exported tables can be used in presentations, maps, and statistical reports. Support is available for anyone needing help to navigate the tools or interpret data fields.

Open Forum (mm 02:05:43)

Kylie shared updates about her work, upcoming events, and personal journey related to motorcycle safety and CPR training.

Participation in events with the UTH Foundation in Houston and Dallas, with a possible grant support from the National Motorcycle Fund to expand CPR training. CPR instruction is offered quarterly at locations like Cowboy Harley-Davidson in Round Rock and classes are provided at low or no cost. Upcoming efforts include a Team 8 Foundation event in Colorado, organizing a motorcycle safety and organ-sharing event at Onion Creek.

Collaboration with TOSA with three events- a KRGV testimonial, a photo shoot, and a safety presentation for 150 attendees. Custom first aid kits, including Narcan and tourniquets, are being assembled and sold at cost. Kylie also shared a personal story about returning to riding after losing her son in a motorcycle crash.

Adjourn (mm 02:11:33)

The next coalition meeting will likely be held in September on a Thursday, from 10:00 to noon.

Thank you to our guest speaker and everyone who joined us today. We are delighted to see so many new people today. Next time bring a new friend.