A crash this week involving a local news producer has Georgia State Patrol officials reminding motorists they are sharing the road with all sorts of vehicles.

WALB News 10 operations manager Bill Gilbride was riding his motorcycle south on US 19 when the driver of Chevy Tahoe unexpectedly turned in front of him. Georgia State Troopers are still investigating, but they expect charges will be filed against the Tahoe driver for failure to yield the right of the way. In the meantime, Gilbride is undergoing surgery at a local hospital where his condition his listed as critical.

Defensive driving is not just for people who drive cars, you know. Whatever kind of vehicle you use on the road you need to be aware of what is happening all around you. Not everyone is a safe driver and sometimes they are downright unsafe. Drivers cut off over drivers, run red lights, speed, drive erratically and do all sorts of things in their cars, truck and SUV’s that can create a safety hazard for themselves, their passengers and other drivers, especially motorcyclists.

Drivers need to be totally aware of their surroundings; know who they are sharing the road with at any given time and what those other drivers might be doing. You can’t anticipate everything that is going to happen, but you sure can mitigate the risks you run when you get behind the wheel (or the handlebars.)

Georgia is home to thousands of motorcyclists. Because the weather in the state is mild most of the year you can find hundreds of these riders out on the roads just about any day of the year. Motorcyclist must receive special instruction before they are issued a motorcyclists license, and many are known for being safe riders; responsible defensive drivers. Unfortunately, because they have so little protection, not much except a helmet and maybe a pair of leather pants, there is the great likelihood they will sustain serous injury in the event of a crash.

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