Georgia Joining National Bicycle Safety Month With 5-City Educational Tour

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is calling for all bicyclists to check the pressure on their tires, the chains on their bikes, and grab their safety helmets for a week of education, safety and fun during the first-ever Capital to Coast 2021 statewide bicycle safety tour.

With stops in Atlanta, Athens, Macon, Savannah, and Brunswick beginning Monday, May 3, Capital to Coast 2021 will offer safety tips, educational messages, and a daily ride for bicyclists at all five locations.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration designates May “National Bicycle Safety Month” because it’s when more people are returning to outdoor activities like bicycling.

Americans and Georgians are increasingly riding bicycles to commute, exercise, or just for fun. Whether it’s riding for recreation or a destination, Capital to Coast 2021 is a time to remind drivers to watch for bicyclists on the road and to give plenty of room when passing bicycle riders.

The statewide tour will also offer bicyclists information on how to pick the right safety helmet, inspect their bicycle for any mechanical issues, and provide other safety information like sharing the road safely with other vehicles.

Cyclist fatalities are still a problem both nationwide and in Georgia. In 2019, 846 cyclists were killed in traffic crashes across America and 20 of those deaths occurred in Georgia.

The number of bicycle deaths in Georgia in the last five years has increased by 23 percent. According to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 118 bicyclist fatalities in Georgia from 2015-19, compared to 96 from 2010-14.

“This statewide event combines the important message for drivers and bicyclists to share the road with a relaxing bicycle ride during springtime in our beautiful state,” Governor’s Highway Safety Director Allen Poole said. “The most important goal for Capital to Coast 2021 is to save lives by preventing crashes between cars and bicycles.”

Here are some safety tips both motorists and cyclists can use to stay safe while sharing the road with each other:

Motorists:

  1. Obey Georgia’s 3-Feet-Law, which requires motorists to give a reasonable distance of at least three feet when overtaking a cyclist to pass and to maintain that distance until safely past the cyclist.
  2. Give cyclists room. Do not pass too closely. Pass bicyclists as you would any other vehicle…when it’s safe to move over into an adjacent lane.
  3. Yield to bicyclists as you would motorists and do not underestimate their speed. Avoid turning in front of a bicyclist who is traveling on the road, often at an intersection or driveway.
  4. In parking lots, at stop signs, when backing up, or when parking, search your surroundings for other vehicles, including bicycles.
  5. Drivers turning right on red should look to the right and behind to avoid hitting a bicyclist approaching from the right rear. Stop completely and look left-right-left and behind before turning right on red.
  6. Obey the speed limit, reduce speed for road conditions, and drive defensively to avoid a crash with a cyclist.

Cyclists:

  1. Wear equipment to protect you and make you more visible to others, including a helmet, bright clothing (during the day), reflective gear, and a white front light and red rear light and reflectors on your bike (at night, or when visibility is poor).
  2. Do not ride on the sidewalk. Georgia law prohibits anyone over the age of 12 from riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, unless allowed by local ordinance.
    Drive with the flow, in the same direction as traffic.
  3. Bicycles are legally classified as vehicles in Georgia so obey street signs, signals, and road markings just like you would if driving a car.
  4. No texting, listening to music, or using anything that distracts you by taking your eyes, ears or your mind off the road and traffic.

“Whether it is by car, bike or foot, we know just about everyone is ready to travel somewhere in the coming months,” Poole said. “We invite bicyclists across the state to join us at one or more of these stops as we want this to be a safe summer on our roads and highways for all travelers.”

Capital to Coast 2021 starts today in Atlanta. The tour continues Tuesday in Athens, Wednesday in Macon, Thursday in Savannah and concludes on Friday in Brunswick.

A list of times and exact locations in each of these five stops can be found at http://gahighwaysafety.org/bikeweek2021.