Catch us live on BlogTalkRadio every



Tuesday & Thursday at 6pm P.S.T.




Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Campaign urges GA drivers to "share the road" - ‘Look Twice, Save a Life! Motorcycles are EVERYWHERE!”

OFF THE WIRE
http://www.wltz.com/news/local/Campaign-urges-GA-drivers-to-share-the-road-117493594.html

Campaign urges GA drivers to "share the road"

PRESS RELEASE
 Mar 8, 2011

(STATEWIDE GEORGIA) ‘Look Twice, Save a Life! Motorcycles are EVERYWHERE!” is Georgia’s motorcycle awareness campaign slogan. And this week it will look as though motorcycles really are everywhere as an estimated half-million motorcyclists are enroute from all over the east coast on their annual trek to Bike Week in Daytona Beach. Highway safety officials across the south are using the national event to raise motorcycle awareness among other drivers and to promote safe driving protocols among bikers.
In a recent American Automobile Association survey of motorcyclists from across Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee, nearly 75-percent of all bikers said what worries them most about riding a motorcycle is the high risk of distracted motorists and the low profile of motorcycles not being seen in traffic.
“Let’s face it, motorcycle riders are just harder to see than other motorists so they’re more at risk,” said Director Harris Blackwood of the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). “We have more than nine months of great biking weather here, so more people are riding in and through Georgia on their way to other southern rally destinations. That means all Georgia drivers should always assume there’s a motorcycle in traffic with them somewhere.”
The most common safety problem for motorcycles is that they’re often hidden in a driver’s blindspot or missed at intersections due to their size. In fact, most motorcycle crashes occur during daylight hours at intersections. Other drivers either don’t see the motorcycles in time to avoid a crash, or don’t see the oncoming motorcycles at all.
“Motorists need to be especially alert when making a left turn to insure that a motorcycle isn’t coming straight through that intersection,” said GOHS Director Blackwood. “We encourage drivers to always ‘look out for motorcycles’, especially when performing lane changes, at intersections, or while passing other vehicles. Most motorists are surprised to learn that more than two-thirds of car-motorcycle crashes are caused by drivers of other motor vehicles, NOT by motorcyclists.”
“As with all motorists, riders should avoid the use of alcoholic beverages before and during the operation of motorcycles,” said Director Blackwood. “Nationally, about 30-percent of all motorcycle deaths involve riders with illegal alcohol levels. And Georgia’s rate isn’t far behind. We want to take Georgia’s motorcyclists off the endangered species list.”
All motorcycle operators are encouraged to enroll in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation training offered through the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS). It’s important both for legal and safety purposes that every rider has a motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s license and that motorcycles are also properly registered and licensed.