College Station, Texas/September 30, 2010 – The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Traffic Safety Section is launching a new motorcycle rider impairment campaign October 1st on the LookLearnLive.org website. The Drink. Ride. Lose. anti-impaired riding campaign aims to bring awareness about the significance of the impaired rider crash problem in Texas, as well as encourage safe motorcycle riding practices.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes are 2.5 times more likely to have consumed alcohol than passenger vehicle drivers. In 2008, 46% of riders killed in Texas had some level of alcohol in their system at the time of the crash. More than 1 out of 3 fatally-injured riders were legally intoxicated (BAC 0.08+). “These numbers are staggering and just not acceptable,” says Patricia Turner, research scientist with the Texas Transportation Institute, who manages the safety campaign. “We have to do more to communicate how serious this problem is and the effect of alcohol and drugs on riding ability,” she continues.
“With Drink. Ride. Lose., we’re focusing on the primary and most preventable cause of motorcyclist fatalities, alcohol use while riding,” says TxDOT Traffic Safety Motorcycle Program Manager, Gonzalo Ponce. “In order to make a significant impact, we realize that there first must be a change in rider behavior, and that is really our main goal.”
The LookLearnLive.org website features Drink. Ride. Lose. campaign logos and billboards voted on by riders. Other additions include more information about drinking and riding and links to testimonials from riders familiar with the effects of drinking and riding. A twitter feed http://twitter.com/looklearnlive; campaign web banners; and promotional items like kick-stand coasters, bumper stickers, and water bottles are available for events to raise public awareness and help get the word out about the dangers of drinking and riding.
Drink. Ride. Lose. is funded by a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation. Please visit WWW.LOOKLEARNLIVE.ORG.