6A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, May 18,2022
Driver Services stresses
safety during Motorcycle
Safety Awareness Month
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
May is Motorcycle Awareness Month,
and the Georgia Department of Driver
Services (DDS) is urging drivers to “Share
the Road” and be aware of motorcyclists
to help reduce the number of motorcycle
fatalities and serious injuries.
According to a release by the DDS,
2020 saw an increase in motorcycle deaths
and motorcycle serious injuries.
“In 2020, there were 192 motorcycle
fatalities and 834 motorcycle serious inju
ries in Georgia, a 13 percent and 18 per
cent increase from the previous year,” the
release said. “Motorcycle Safety Month
and the ‘Share the Road’ campaign are a
call to action to reduce these numbers.”
The release said that the key compo
nents of motorcycle safety include both
motorcyclists and non-motorcyclists being
aware and following the rules, including
motorists being aware of motorcycles,
motorcycle rider education, helmet use
and compliance with traffic laws.
“Mutual responsibility is the safety
message we are sharing with all road users
to prevent motorcycle crashes,” DDS
Commissioner Spencer Moore said in the
release. “By allowing road signs, obeying
speed limits, removing distractions and
always staying focused on the road, deaths
and injuries could be prevented.”
Georgia is one of 19 states, along with
the District of Columbia, that has a univer
sal helmet law requiring all motorcyclists
to wear helmets, the release said.
“Data released by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
estimated helmets to be 37 percent more
effective in preventing fatal injuries to
motorcyclists,” the release said.
Helmets worn on a motorcycle must be
compliant to Department of
Transportation (DOT) standards, and the
Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program
(GMSP) recommends a full-face helmet
for the most protection.
In addition to wearing a helmet,
Georgia law requires motorcyclists to be
properly licensed to operate their vehicle
without restrictions. Motorcycle education
courses provide the best way to get a
Class M license.
“The Basic RiderCourse is essential to
prepare new riders to be road ready,”
GMSP Program Manager Holly Hegyesi
said in the release. “Rider education
doesn’t end with the BRC. It is important
for riders of all levels to access continued
rider education, such as the Basic
RiderCourse 2 an Advanced RiderCourse,
to hone skills and stay up to date with
safety measures.”
While motorcyclists should be responsi
ble for safety measures like wearing hel
mets and taking safety courses, other
motorists must also be aware of motorcy
cles on the road, the release said.
“Motorcycles are smaller and can be
less visible to passenger vehicles during
bad weather and heavy traffic,” the release
said. “It is vital that drivers exercise
awareness and drive undistracted, being
Georgia’s hands-free laws. The GMSP’s
‘Share the Road’ campaign emphasizes
this shared responsibility to protect motor
cyclists and reduce rider fatalities.”
For more information about motorcycle
training and safety, go to www.dds.geor-
gia.goov/gmsp-riders, www.nhtsa.gov/
road-safety/motorcycles, or www.iihs.org/
topics/motorcycles#helmet-laws.
Photo courtesy Unsplash
BOC talks funding for
four more deputies
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Just as the Dawson County Sheriff’s
Office is looking to hire more deputies
now, the agency is also looking to add
more to its ranks down the road.
During the Board of Commissioners’
May 5 work session, DCSO Maj. Greg
Rowan explained that his agency wants to
take advantage of the Community
Oriented Policing Services (COPS) feder
al grant to hire certified law enforcement
officers.
DCSO’s efforts to hire come amidst
local and national focuses on law enforce
ment in recent years and a shortage of
officers throughout police agencies.
“This is one of the best [such] opportu
nities we’ve had in a while,” Rowan said.
“Hopefully, if things go well...we’ll
apply for four positions, which will give
our four shifts one additional staff mem
ber.”
As of the meeting, Rowan estimated
that there are seven open DCSO positions.
If awarded, the COPS grant would
cover up to 75 percent or three quarters of
the deputies’ salaries and benefits, a max
imum of $125,000 each over a three-year
period. There would be a
minimum 25 percent local cash match,
and officers obtained would have to stay
on with DCSO for at least a year.
When District 2 Commissioner Chris
Gaines asked about the equipment cost
for adding those deputies, Rowan clari
fied that the grant would not cover gear
like “ballistics, badges and vests”, an
additional cost between $30,000 and
$50,000, and added that SPLOST funds
could help cover vehicles.
If DCSO receives the COPS grant,
funding is expected to arrive sometime
this coming fall, after the end of the feder
al government’s fiscal year.
Gaines commented that the board
“would have to prepare for a big absorp
tion” ahead of the grant’s expiration at the
end of its three-year period.
More preparation required for
War Hill Park updates
Parks and Recreation Director Matt
Payne told the board that a master plan
and environmental assessment is required
before any work can begin to add to War
Hill Park.
The board approved Payne’s request for
approval to pursue the two-pronged proj
ect at a cost of $124,230.
Dawson County leases its use of the
Lake Lanier-area park from the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, so any poten
tial changes must be approved by them.
This past fall, the BOC approved glam
ping sites at the park, and since then,
Payne said his department has learned “a
great deal” about what’s required for
changes “as simple as running electrical
to four campsites”.
Among the stipulations, the environ
mental assessment requires background
and historical research as well as field
evaluation for stream and wetland habitats
as well as indication of any threatened or
endangered species.
A master plan must show both the
park’s existing conditions and its new
footprint, which would be created follow
ing public meetings and input and sub
mission to the Army Corps.
The playground and additional park
trails were already approved as part of the
SPLOST VII projects, but those cannot be
funded until after the completion and
approval of the environmental assessment
and master plan.
Gaines called it “painful” to “turn
around and have to do this” in the course
of managing an asset like War Hill Park.
Chief Financial Officer Vickie Neikirk
recommended taking the money for
Payne’s request out of the general fund
since the first part of SPLOST VII funds
are to be used for the forthcoming emer
gency communications center.
District 3 Commissioner Tim
Satterfield pointed to these potential
improvements as being a future revenue
generator for the county.
Recently, glamping sites became avail
able at Amicalola Falls State Park, which
is in but not managed by the county. The
same company, Timberline Glamping,
approached the board this past fall about
having sites at War Hill Park. They cur
rently also have sites at Shady Grove
Campground on the Forsyth County side
of Lake Lanier.
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