Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition Meeting

Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition Meeting Agenda
Date: August 11, 2022
Time: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (CST)
Location: Microsoft (MS) Teams

10:00 – 10:10 AM     Opening Remarks & Introductions
10:10 – 10:15 AM     How to Use MS Teams
10:15 – 10:35 AM     License to Ride
10:35 – 10:50 AM     2022 in Review
-Crash Trends
-Forum & Events
-Strategic Action Plan for Motorcycles
10:50 – 11:00 AM     Task Force Update
11:00 – 11:20 AM     TMSC Chair Nominee Introductions and Vote
11:20 – 11:30 AM     Announcements & Open Forum
11:30 AM                  Adjourn

Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition Meeting Minutes
Date: August 11, 2022
Time: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (CST)
Location: Microsoft Teams (virtual)

Opening Remarks & Introduction (Chris Beireis)

Chris Beireis welcomed everyone to the TMSC meeting. Approximately 28 people attended the meeting. An attendee list is attached to these minutes. The meeting was recorded to be posted to the LookLearnLive YouTube channel.

Unlicensed to Ride Project (Cody Stewart)

Cody Stewart of TTI presented information on his “Unlicensed to Ride” project. This project, sponsored by TxDOT under the Traffic Safety Grants program, seeks to reduce crashes and injuries associated with unlicensed, untrained riders. The project focuses on encouraging riders who are unlicensed to complete a motorcycle safety training course to obtain a license, but most importantly to improve their riding skills and reduce their crash risk. This year, the project matched DMV data on motorcycle registrations with driver license data, to identify mailing addresses that are associated with at least one registered motorcycle but not with a motorcycle license/endorsement. In 2021, this process identified 75,524 motorcycle registration records that could not be matched with an existing motorcycle license. Postcards were sent to those addresses to encourage the residents to enroll in a motorcycle training course if they did not have a motorcycle license. This is the third year that this mailout has been conducted, and the prior-year mailouts seem to have had some positive impact – 4,991 postcard recipients in the 2019 mailout received motorcycle licenses between then and 2020, and 3,371 recipients in 2020 received their licenses between 2020 and 2021.

Cody asked participants what time of year they felt the mailing of project postcard would be most effective. Feedback was provided through the chat: January, April or early spring, early March – beginning of riding season, February, when the weather is nice, March, March when the riding season starts in earnest, no later than May – Motorcycle Safety Month, springtime, April would be ideal, August when some are not riding and checking the mail, and can it be sent out twice? Cost prohibits the mailing more than once a year. Time allotted for receiving, cleaning, and developing the postcards prohibits and early year/springtime mailing window. The team’s goal is to have them mailed around May.

Contact Cody Stewart for more information at [email protected].

2022 in Review (Cathy Brooks)

Cathy Brooks of TTI reviewed the activities conducted under the TxDOT-sponsored motorcycle safety outreach grant during the 2022 fiscal year. She also presented some statistics on motorcycle crashes and injuries from 2012-2021. The trends in crashes over the decade showed an increase in the percentages of fatal and serious injury crashes in 2020 and 2021.  Fatal crashes involving impaired riding decreased in 2020 and 2021, though they still represented a significant proportion of motorcyclist fatalities. Fatalities involving riders without a motorcycle license have increased as a percentage of total motorcycle fatalities over the decade (36% in 2012, 55% in 2021). These results and others can be seen in the meeting slides.

Task Force Update (Jude Schexnyder)

Jude Schexnyder, Chair of the Task Force, summarized the Task Force’s work over the past year. The “big three” contributing factors to motorcycle crashes are rider impairment, speed, and failure to yield right of way (this could a driver failing to yield to a motorcycle OR a motorcycle failing to yield to a driver). The Task Force focused on rider impairment this year.  Surveys were sent out to a cross-section of the riding community to find out what’s driving decisions about operating motorcycles while impaired.  The survey was just a preliminary look, with a small sample of respondents.  Jude thanked Chris Sharman for bringing his marketing expertise to the project and helping to identify messaging strategies that are likely to reach the people who need to hear those messages.  The Task Force could use the help of dealerships, motorcycle event organizers, and others in the motorcycling community to get more riders to complete this survey and provide more information.

Contact Jude with any questions or if interested in joining the Task Force at [email protected].

TMSC Chair Nominee Introductions and Vote

Three nominees for TMSC Chair introduced themselves and communicated their vision for the TMSC:  Dr. David Jones of Safety on Two Wheels, Charles Herd of Herd Law Firm, and Maurice Maness of Training Wheels.

Maurice Maness was elected to be the TMSC Chair for 2023-2025. He shared his gratitude and willingness to work with other nominees to incorporate their ideas for the TMSC to improve motorcycle safety in Texas. “This will take us ALL, to keep working!” Congratulations!

Contact Maurice with any questions or ideas at [email protected].

Announcements and Open Forum

Chris Beireis opened up the floor for any announcements, comments, suggestions, etc.

Laura announced that the Reducing Impaired Riding Tool Kit and other materials that TMSC members provided feedback on at the April meeting are ready for distribution and will be posted on the LookLearnLive website.  The link to the page of materials is https://www.looklearnlive.org/safety/preventing-impaired-riding/; more materials will be added as they are developed.

Jude Schexnyder mentioned that he and Keith Rovell have been reaching out to the Texas COC&I leadership and working with Keith Rovell on a handout for Texas state legislators to educate them on the issue of training enough motorcycle instructors to meet the need for motorcycle safety courses.

Adjourn

The meeting adjourned at 11:28 a.m.

Attendees

A total of 28 people attended the Coalition meeting.

Teams Chat List

1. Laura Higgins
2. Guest (joined by phone)
3. Cathy Brooks
4. Charles Herd
5. Chet (guest)
6. Chris Beireis
7. Craig Wuensche
8. David Jones
9. Jane Lundquist
10. Jason Morris
11. Joel Morris
12. Josh Kane
13. Jude Schexnyder
14. LaViza Matthews
15. Michael Manser
16. Mark Seeburger
17. Maurice Maness
18. Mike Sconza
19. Raine Devries
20. RRMC Senior
21. Kim Sailor
22. Cody Stewart
23. Sal Carmona
24. Veronica Nippert
25. W Flottman
26. Jack Wenzel
27. Virginia Lingham
28. Tom B