Wear Yellow on Wednesday, May 18th to raise awareness for bicycle safety in Mississippi!

“Wear Yellow Day” is a statewide day of awareness, scheduled for Wednesday, May 18th.

Citizens are encouraged to Wear Yellow to raise awareness for bicycle safety and to share their photos wearing yellow on Bike Walk Mississippi's Facebook and Twitter pages (@bikewalkms) using the hashtag #wearyellowday and #changelanestopass 

Join thousands of advocates across the state to stand together to raise awareness for bicycle safety in Mississippi next Wednesday, May 18th on “WEAR YELLOW DAY”!    Wear Yellow Day is an annual day of awareness, started in 2011 by Bike Walk Mississippi, a statewide bicycle advocacy nonprofit that has been working to increase bicycle safety across Mississippi since 1994. 

“Wear Yellow day serves as an opportunity to share the message that “everyone is someone’s everything” - to remind others that people riding bicycles are also someone’s son or daughter. We hope people will not only choose to Wear Yellow on May 18th but will use this day to start a dialog with their friends, family and colleagues about the importance of watching for bicyclists on Mississippi roads.” said Bike Walk's Executive Director, Melody Moody-Thortis.  Bike Walk Mississippi says that using one day to ask people to Wear Yellow is an easy way for people around the state to start conversations about the law in Mississippi that mandates that motorists give a minimum of 3 feet when passing a bicyclists on Mississippi roads. “A lot of motorists tell us that they don’t know what to do when they see a bicyclist on the road, and even more might not be aware that in Mississippi it is actually legal to completely change lanes to pass a bicyclist, once the person behind the wheel determines that they can do so safely”, Thortis says, “We want to use Wear Yellow Day to bring awareness to the “Change Lanes to Pass” campaign that seeks to bring more attention to that part of the 3 foot law”.  

Bike Walk Mississippi launched the Change Lanes to Pass Campaign last May as a part of National Bicycle Month and this year, they are encouraging citizens to share the newly created Video Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) that educate others about Changing Lanes to Pass.  Mississippians can also download free bicycle safety posters and brochures along with “pocket-sized” guides that detail the 3 foot law.  Bike Walk Mississippi encourages all bicyclists to carry a copy of the law with them when riding and to report any collisions or buzzing reports on their online “Incident Report”.  Free bicycle safety materials and information are available at the statewide campaign website: www.changelanestopass.com 

Bike Walk Mississippi hopes that “Wear Yellow Day” can serve as an opportunity for people across the state who ride bikes, or have a loved one who rides a bike to talk to their friends, family and co-workers about the importance of giving plenty of room when passing someone riding a bicycle on Mississippi roads.  When asked, "Why Yellow?”, Moody-Thortis stated, “People take notice when people wear Yellow (or High Vis) clothing in everyday life. Since these are colors that the majority of bicyclists wear when riding on the roads, we want people (whether they ride bicycles or not) to identify themselves as advocates for the safety of those who ride bicycles on Mississippi roads whether by choice or by need.” Nearly everyone remembers learning how to ride a bicycle for the first time or teaching their children how to do so - people are more connected to this issue than they realize. By remembering that everyone riding a bicycle is important to someone, we hope they will remember to give them plenty of room when passing.” 

Those who would like to contribute to Bicycle Safety in Mississippi are encouraged to make a donation to the Change Lanes to Pass campaign at www.changelanestopass.com and can also make a donation in honor of a loved one at the site.  As a statewide nonprofit, all donations to Bike Walk Mississippi are eligible for a tax-deductible receipt.

To find out more and download free bicycle safety information, go to: www.changelanestopass.com 

Learn more about Bike Walk Mississippi and it’s effort to create a bicycle and pedestrian friendly state at www.bikewalkmississippi.org