Georgia Looking to Lower Cyclist Fatalities

Officials from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety are looking to lower the number of cyclist fatalities in 2013.

Department spokeswoman Ashley Fielding says 18 cyclists were killed in the state in 2012, representing a 28 percent increase in the number of cyclist fatalities since 2011.

Officials say nearly three quarters of all crashes involving bicycles resulted in injuries last year, and hit-and-run crashes accounted for about 15 percent of the total bicycle-related crashes in the state.

Fielding says 47 percent of hit-and-run crashes involving cyclists in Georgia happened in the metro Atlanta area.

Atlanta officials are working with Georgia Tech engineers to learn about the local cycling community. The city offers the Cycle Atlanta app for cyclists looking to report popular routes and infrastructure problems to city officials.