Coming To: Clayton County and Albany, GA & Campbellton and Thunder Beach, FL  

(GEORGIA) During the last week of April, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) and local motorcycle enthusiasts will kick off a two-day ride to Florida to promote motorcycle safety. Beginning with a kickoff from Clayton County Harley Davidson in Morrow, GA and including a news conference at the GA/FL state line, GOHS Motorcycle Safety Planner Fred Huff and riders from across Georgia and Alabama will be “Taking It To The Street” to spread the Share the Road message to motorists and raise awareness about motorcycle safety in areas facing high crash rates, deaths, and injuries.

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WHO:   GOHS and the Florida DOT along with motorcycle enthusiasts and safety advocates from Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
WHAT: NEWS CONFERENCE to bring together riders from all 3 states and kick off final ride to Thunder Beach, FL.
WHEN:  Thursday, April 29th at Noon (Central Standard Time)
WHERE: U.S. 231 Welcome Center, 5865 Highway 231, Campbellton, FL 32426
WHY:       Because nationwide, motorcyclists are 37 times more likely than passenger car occupants
to die in traffic crashes!

MOTORCYCLISTS COMMITTED TO “RIDE STRAIGHT STATE TO STATE”

“As this year’s riding season begins, this tour is taking off to promote safe riding and remind both riders and motorists to keep an eye out for each other” says Director Bob Dallas of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “This two-day ride will give motorcycle enthusiasts a chance to demonstrate how popular recreational riding has become in Georgia and its neighboring states, combined with that sobering reminder of how vulnerable these riders are on our highways.”

As is the case with passenger vehicles, alcohol is a major contributing factor in fatal motorcycle crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcycle operators in fatal crashes exhibit higher alcohol content in volume and rate than any other vehicle drivers. In 2008, Georgia experienced 177 motorcycle rider fatalities…21 percent of those who died were alcohol-impaired. The national average is 30 percent. The last ten years of motorcycle fatality data also paint a grim picture. In 2008, 12 percent of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in Georgia were motorcycle drivers…the highest percentage since 1994. This is a growing problem statewide. By 2008 when there were 177 deaths, motorcycle fatalities increased by 59 percent since 2004 when there were 111 deaths and a whopping 165 percent since 1998 when there were only 66.

For more information about Georgia’s Motorcycle Safety Awareness Program contact GOHS Motorcycle Safety Program Planner Fred Huff at 404-656-6996.

ITINERARY FOR RIDE FROM CLAYTON COUNTY HARLEY DAVIDSON TO FLORIDA....

Itinerary for April 28, 2010Georgia Riders will be staging at Clayton County Harley Davidson @ I-75 (exit 233) on April 28, @ 9:00am and leaving by 10:00am for Albany (Overnight stay).  

 We will met at Courtyard Albany Hotel in Albany

 Route: US 41 TO US 19 TO Albany

 Motel information:

Courtyard Albany

Albany, GA 31707-8015

 The itinerary for April 29 2010 is as scheduled:

 Leave Albany, GA at 10:00 a.m. (EST) and arriving at the Welcome Center at 12:00 p.m. (EST) This will have the motorcade arriving 1 hour before the press event. I have contacted Alabama State Troopers who will be assisting with an escort from the AL/GA line to the AL/FL state line. If you have any questions or any adjustment you see that needs to be made please contact Fred Huff at fhuff@gohs.ga.gov or via phone at 404-656-6996.

TO GO TO THE GOHS HOME PAGE, CLICK HERE