While Georgia experienced fewer motorcycle deaths overall in 2012, motorcyclists in the state are killed at a rate disproportionate to their counterparts in passenger cars, according to an analysis by the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

As the state’s motorcycle riding season nears its peak, highway safety advocates on Thursday called for both motorcyclists and motorists to share the road in an effort to continue to eliminate tragedies in Georgia this year.

The event was part of a national motorcycle safety awareness campaign.

In Georgia and across the country, the consequences for motorcycle riders in crashes are dire. Crashes are more likely to kill riders of the more than 200,000 registered motorcycles in Georgia than they are passengers of any other vehicle.

“With its mountains, long summer season and abundance of rural roads, Georgia is one of the best states in the country to ride a motorcycle,” said Harris Blackwood, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “But if you don’t know what you’re doing, a motorcycle is a dangerous, dangerous thing.”

Last year, 132 motorcyclists died on Georgia roads.

The 2012 death toll is slightly smaller than the 148 recorded motorcyclist deaths for 2011, but Blackwood said Georgians should not be content with only a slight decrease in fatalities.