'Share the Road' Festival Sends Motorcycle Safety Message
Some 800 motorcyclists are expected. The event stresses the need for safe sharing of the roadways.
Bumpus Harley Davidson's Murfreesboro dealership will be the place to be tomorrow for Harley riders and motorcyclists of every stripe, in fact, as the Tennessee Department of Safety joins with the Governor's Highway Safety Office, the Motorcycle Awareness Foundation of Tennessee, the Tennessee Truckers Association, the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, Walk/Bike Nashville, and the Murfreesboro Police Department to kick off May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and National Bicycle Month.
The "Share the Road" festival is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. local time at the dealership. The event will feature a bicycle safety course for kids and adults, motorcycle training, and road tests; a news conference is scheduled for noon.
The location is 2250 NW Broad Street in Murfreesboro, and more than 800 motorcyclists are expected to attend and participate in a "Blessing of the Bikes" ceremony, followed by a ride to Lynchburg, Tenn.
The Tennessee Department of Safety says motorcycle fatalities have steadily increased during the past decade. Last year, 143 motorcyclists were killed on Tennessee roadways. The goal of the festival is to remind drivers, motorcyclists, and bicyclists to "Share the Road" with one another. The department includes the the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security, and Driver License Services.