share the road press conference

Capitol Police closed down Washington Street on October 19 for an unusual news conference. Instead of the usual downtown commuter traffic, the four lanes in front of the State Capitol building were packed with pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles. They were squeezed in between an ambulance, fire truck, SUV and State Patrol unit. And all of these participants were staged in front of a tractor trailer rig painted with a full-length graphic called the “No-Zone” illustrating where NOT to drive alongside an eighteen wheeler.

“It was our re-enactment of all the typical traffic mix any Georgia motorist might encounter along any typical stretch of Georgia roadway,” said Director Bob Dallas of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. We invited safety advocates from across the spectrum of Georgians who must “Share The Road” on a daily basis. Our message is that we all have rights and responsibilities when we “Share The Road.”

But one by one, the safety advocate speakers told their true life stories about fellow cyclists, bikers, motorists, police officers and first responders who suffered near death experiences due to careless drivers. And too often, when the basic rules of the road aren’t observed, the consequences prove fatal. Sadly, 1,744 Georgians were killed in traffic crashes last year.

“And that’s a devastating shame because most of the life-saving solutions are very simple,” said GOHS Director Dallas. “Speed limits are there for a reason. Crosswalks are there for a reason. Bikes lanes are there for a reason. And the Move-Over law was passed for a reason. By repeating these safety messages often enough and backing them up with strong enforcement, it is our hope that motorists will follow these basic rules of the road and together we’ll prevent these needless fatalities,” Dallas said.

GOHS scheduled this Capitol news conference so that the “Share The Road” highway safety message would coincide with the upcoming time change, the Halloween weekend impaired driving crackdown, and as a preview to the Thanksgiving safety belt enforcement that follows soon after in November.

The GOHS news conference concluded when members of Georgia bicycle groups challenged an official pace car from the Atlanta Motor Speedway to a friendly ceremonial street race. The race in front of the Capitol was staged to symbolize the unofficial ongoing competition between Georgia motor racing fans and Georgia bicycling fans.

The bicycles won the race for the most popular license tag— so far. Since last year, race fans and bicycle fans have been trying to out-pace each other with the number of orders placed for the new specialty Georgia license tags.

In May 2006, the number of “Share The Road” tag orders placed reached 1,000 and as of October 1st, 920 Georgia “Share The Road” license tags have been issued. The Georgia race plates will be issued once they reach a minimum of one thousand orders. As of today, 643 “race tag” orders have been received.

Proceeds from the purchase fees of both “Share The Road” bicycle and “race tag” specialty tags have been designated by the Georgia Legislature to be utilized by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to support life-saving highway safety programs. The funds will be used to provide motorist education, safety workshops, media campaigns and law enforcement.

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