Utah Promotes Greater Awareness and Safety for Bicyclists
As more and more Utah residents turn to bicycles for their daily commutes, safety advocates are encouraging cycling awareness. On April 7, 2009, Gov. Jon Hunstman Jr. joined the safety advocates by signing a ceremonial copy of a bill that will establish a new “Share the Road” license plate. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah motorists can obtain this license plate for a $25 extra registration fee. Proceeds for the license plate will go to the Utah Bicycle Coalition to help promote bicycle safety education. The new plates have a white background with blue numbers under a red “Utah.” Just below the numbers the plate says “SHARE THE ROAD.” Bicycle advocates hope that these plates will promote driver awareness and act as a visible reminder to share Utah roads with bicyclists.
Pedestrian and bicycle accidents are on the rise nationwide. Every eight minutes, a pedestrian is injured in a traffic accident. Even worse, a fatal pedestrian accident happens every two hours. Please remember to be aware of your surroundings and to “share the road” with bicyclists.
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If you would like more information on Utah bicycling, including bicycle laws, helmet laws, and injury statistics, just click on the following links:
Bicycle Safety Tips
Utah Bicycle Laws
Bicycle Helmet Safety Statistics
