Veronica Watts took a terrible experience – being hit and very seriously injured by a car driver – and is turning it into positive change for people who walk and bike in Georgia.
Over the past 15 years in Georgia, the proportion of fatal roadway crashes involving a person walking or cycling increased from 11 percent in 2007 to 19 percent in 2021. However, these crashes are often not reported, or are recorded as being less severe than they are.
The Georgia Senate Public Safety Committee passed a resolution to create a committee to tackle pedestrian and cyclist fatalities, sometimes referred to as Vulnerable Roadway Users, in Georgia. Sign this petition to demonstrate the depth of support for this issue.
Unfortunately, SR 216, which would have created a Vulnerable Road Users Study Committee, was not selected by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones as one of the seven study committees for next year’s session. (There were 11 other proposed committees that met the same fate.)
The committee would meet through the end of 2025 to hear from experts and generate legislation to protect people walking and biking in Georgia.
The resolution includes a key element related to our work: that Georgia's infrastructure budgets and plans should be reviewed to ensure appropriate investments are being made in safety countermeasures to reduce roadway fatalities and injuries.