Motorcycle Awareness Tour Finale at Turner Field

MEDIA ADVISORY For more information: Jim Shuler, GOHS Public Affairs FOR RELEASE 404-656-6996 or 888-420-0767 APRIL 30, 2009 [email protected]

MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS TOUR FINALE AT TURNER FIELD Share The Road News Conference Caps Historic 6-Day Safety Ride

(ATLANTA-GA) May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. And this year the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety put its Director and its message on two wheels and put them on the road, crisscrossing the state with the first-ever Georgia Motorcycle Awareness Tour (GMAT). During the last week of April highway safety advocates, motorcycle enthusiasts and law enforcement riders spread the GOHS motorcycle safety message from Carroll County to Columbus; onward to Albany through Valdosta, and along to Savannah and Augusta, finally returning to Atlanta where the six day tour concludes with a Share the Road news conference at Turner Field. Why the road trip? Because our data shows that from 2000 to 2007, the number of motorcycle crashes in Georgia has increased 113-percent and the number of Georgia motorcyclists killed increased 161-percent during that same time. *Photo-Opportunities / Media Welcome* WHO: GOHS plus hundreds of motorcycling enthusiasts and highway safety partners. WHAT: NEWS CONFERENCE to mark the final leg of the ‘GMAT’ GEORGIA MOTORCYCLE SAFETY TOUR. It’s come ‘full-cycle’, ending where it began at Atlanta’s Turner Field. WHEN: 10:30AM on Thursday, April 30th, 2009. WHERE: Turner Field Gold Lot, 755 Hank Aaron Drive, Atlanta, GA 30315 WHY: Because nationwide, motorcyclists are 37 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in traffic crashes!

WHAT’S NEXT: Photographers can shoot footage of the GMAT convoy arriving at Turner Field’s Gold Lot between 9:30AM and 10AM in time for noon broadcasts. Riders will assemble at 10AM and the News Conference will immediately follow at 10:30AM. GOHS Director Bob Dallas and other motorcycle and highway safety partners will be available for one-on-one interviews. GOHS Director Bob Dallas to Conclude ‘GMAT’ Ride… “The GMAT tour is designed to bring new awareness to an old problem,” says GOHS Director Bob Dallas. “Our data shows that in 2007, there were 4,367 motorcycle crashes in Georgia. That resulted in 3,334 injuries and 162 fatalities and that’s just unacceptable! Motorcycle ownership is on the rise here and crash numbers will continue to rise too unless we all do something about it.” Motorcyclists Rally At Turner Field In 2007 alone, the number of registered motorcycles in Georgia rose by another 22-percent. That’s why the ‘GMAT’ tour is making riders and other drivers aware of the safety precautions

Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Public Information Unit Public Affairs Director, Jim Shuler – 404-656-6996 – [email protected] 34 Peachtree Street—Suite 1600—One Park Tower—Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Visit us on the web at www.georgiahighwaysafety.org Sonny Perdue, Governor Robert F. Dallas, Director they need to take when sharing the road. Motorcyclists are extremely vulnerable. While motorcycles accounted for just 1.0-percent of our statewide crash totals in 2007, they were involved in almost 11-percent of our traffic fatalities. What’s more, motorcycle deaths and injuries are targeting both our youngest and oldest rider groups. Sixty-eight-percent of Georgia’s motorcycle injuries and fatalities were males, age 25-to-54. May Declared “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month” So this year, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is ‘Taking It To The Streets’ to spread the Share the Road message to motorists and raise awareness about motorcycle safety in areas facing high crash rates. The Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month campaign is jointly promoted by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) and ABATE of Georgia (American Bikers Active Toward Education) working together to reduce the number of motorcycle crashes, injuries and fatalities on Georgia’s roadways.

Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Public Information Unit Public Affairs Director, Jim Shuler – 404-656-6996 – [email protected] 34 Peachtree Street—Suite 1600—One Park Tower—Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Visit us on the web at www.georgiahighwaysafety.org Sonny Perdue, Governor Robert F. Dallas, Director