Route Summary
Starting on FM 4 in Granbury, you will ride through mountainous scenery that takes you on a loop around the Brazos River. This route will eventually take you to Possum Kingdom Lake off Hwy 16. The 165-mile route is a great get-away from the DFW Metroplex and offers beautiful views of wildflowers, the Brazos River, and Possum Kingdom Lake. There are a handful of small towns to stop in to grab a bite to eat.
This route had fatal and incapacitating crashes between 2010 – 2022. In Texas, drivers are not assigned “at fault” in a crash, but law enforcement can assign ‘factors or conditions’ that contributed or may have contributed to a crash. Multiple ‘crash factors and conditions’ can be assigned to one, some, or all vehicles involved in a crash.
The following tables represent data extracted from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Crash Records Information System (TxDOT’s CRIS).
| Safety (2010-2022) | |
|---|---|
| Crashes | |
| Fatalities | |
| Serious Injuries | |
| Top Weather Crash Condition | |
| Top Lighting Crash Condition | |
| Top Road Crash Condition | |
Crash Narrative Summary
The following list is a summary of the crash events and conditions that have been described by officers investigating crashes along this route. The investigating officer provides his/her opinion of how the crash happened and will emphasize or explain, as necessary, any pertinent facts that are not fully explained elsewhere on the crash report. This section is meant to supplement the above data tables by providing further insight and “clues” into what factors and conditions contributed or may have contributed to crashes along this route.
- 66% of the crashes had contributing factors of either unsafe speed or failure to control speed. Crashes along this route involved the tendency for motorcyclists to rear-end other vehicles (including other motorcyclists).
- 57% of motorcycle operators were not wearing a helmet. Full faced helmets offer the most protection. There are a variety of styles, weight, air flow, and other features for full faces at a range of different price points.
- 33% of crashes occurred along a curve. Motorcyclists tended to travel at an unsafe speed on a curve, lose control, and then come to rest in a ditch. Remember to look through the curve. Don't get fixated on the guardrail ahead of you, or the car coming up on your left.
- When riding with other motorcycles, ride in a staggered formation, not side-by-side. Always keep at least two seconds of following distance between you and the bike in front of you (MSF).
- In the event that the rider in front of you goes down, keep your composure and do not get target fixated on the fallen rider! Their crash may cause you to crash if you are not looking ahead at where you want to go.
- Riding a motorcycle is fun, pushing one is not. Include a pre-ride check of your machine to ensure all is in proper working order.
- Don’t forget that your bike’s front brake can supply as much as 70% of or more of your stopping power. One of the most important skills a rider needs to develop is always using the front brake for slowing down (MSF).
- Think you only need to watch out for cars? Think again. Almost half of fatal crashes involve only the motorcycle. In fact, 66% of the crashes along this route were single vehicle crashes, meaning the only unit involved was the motorcycle.
- Drinking significantly slows down your reaction time. Every rider knows a quick reaction time is absolutely necessary for riding motorcycles.