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The Texas Department of Transportation has rolled out its Motorcycle Safety Awareness campaign this May, which the area needs after 48 motorcyclists were killed in San Antonio and New Braunfels last year.
There was a total of 948 motorcycle crashes here in 2025, which also left another 218 bikers seriously injured.
Statewide, TxDOT reports there were 8,932 crashes, killing 557 and injuring 2,468.
Lindsey Schroeder, a spokesperson for TxDOT, said a lot of those fatal crashes involve turns at intersections.
"Take extra care at intersections," she said. "Many serious motorcycle crashes occur when a driver turns in front of an oncoming rider. A motorcyclist's speed and distance can be hard to judge. Don't rush a turn."
TxDOT encourages drivers on Texas roadways to:
- Expect motorcycles. Train yourself to look for them.
- Look twice before turning or merging.
- Check mirrors and blind spots carefully.
- Use turn signals when changing lanes or making turns.
- Give motorcycles a full lane of space.
- Maintain a safe following distance.
- Slow down, obey posted speed limits and adjust for road conditions.
- Small changes in awareness can have a major impact on safety.
As part of the motorcycle awareness safety campaign, TxDOT set up an interactive exhibit in the parking lot of Buc-ees on I-35 in New Braunfels on Friday.
TxDOT’s exhibit featured a virtual reality component that gave participants the opportunity to experience, from a driver’s perspective, how hard it is to spot motorcyclists in high-risk traffic situations.
It also allowed participants to experience what close calls and dangerous situations look and feel like from a motorcyclist's perspective.
