Motorcycle-riding law enforcement officers made a stop in Valdosta Tuesday during the fourth day of the six-day Georgia Motorcycle Awareness Tour, hosted by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS).

Despite the recent reduction in vehicle crashes and deaths on Georgia highways, the Office of Highway Safety continues to see a rise in motorcycle crashes and deaths, said GOHS Director Robert Dallas.

“There are 1,600 to 1,700 crash deaths on Georgia highways per year,” Dallas said. “Among those, 150 accidents involve motorcycles.”

From 2000 to 2007, the number of motorcycle crashes in Georgia increased from 2,049 to 4,367, according to a press release from the GOHS. The number of Georgia motorcyclists killed during that same seven-year period increased 161 percent, from 62 in 2000 to 162 in 2007, the release stated.

Dallas said that the purpose of the tour is to promote public awareness about motorcyclists on the roads, as well as encourage those who operate motorcycles to use proper safety techniques.

“It is so critical that we all ride safely,” Dallas said.

The GMAT tour is dedicated to the memory of Tifton Police Motor Officer Terry Adams who was fatally injured while responding to a call for assistance on his patrol motorcycle last Wednesday. Adams was riding with the emergency equipment on his bike activated, when a pickup truck pulled out from a shopping center and collided with him head on.

Adams died of injuries sustained in the accident as he was being transported to a local hospital.

Adams was 38 years old and was a seven-year veteran of the Tifton Police Department. He had served two years as a motorcycle officer with the traffic division. Adams is survived by his wife and four children.

“When we follow the rules of the road, it is safe to drive,” Dallas said. “When we don’t, it is deadly.”

Valdosta Police Department Sgt. Earl Durrance expressed the importance of remaining aware of motorcyclists on the roads in Valdosta at all times.

“Gas prices are creeping back up, so we expect to see more people on bikes soon because they are cheaper than automobiles,” Durrance said. “Although motorcycles are manufactured and made to be more visible, people are not taking the time to look out for them.”

Durrance was proud to report a decrease of fatal vehicle accidents in the city in the past four years.

“In 2005, we had nine fatal traffic accidents, three of which involved motorcycles,” he said. “In all three situations, another vehicle pulled out in front of the motorcycle, which caused the crash.”

Since then, the number has gradually declined to zero fatal accidents last year, Durrance said.