State Officials Launch Motorcycle Safety Campaign

While Georgia experienced fewer motorcycle deaths overall in 2012, motorcyclists in the state are killed at a rate disproportionate to their counterparts in passenger cars, according to an analysis by the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

As the state’s motorcycle riding season nears its peak, highway safety advocates last week called for both motorcyclists and motorists to share the road in an effort to continue to eliminate tragedies in Georgia this year.

The event, held at Lake Lanier in Hall County, was part of a national motorcycle safety awareness campaign.

In Georgia and across the country, the consequences for motorcycle riders in crashes are dire. Crashes are more likely to kill riders of the more than 200,000 registered motorcycles in Georgia than they are passengers of any other vehicle.

Harris Blackwood director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said with its mountains, long summer season and abundance of rural roads, Georgia is one of the best states in the country to ride a motorcycle.

However, he said if you don’t know what you’re doing, a motorcycle is a dangerous, dangerous thing.”

Last year, some 132 motorcyclists died on Georgia roads.

Georgia’s Department of Driver Service operates 22 motorcycle safety training sites and certifies 14 private sites across the state.