The Adam Little Foundation

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The Adam Little Foundation was founded in memory of Adam Little, a cyclist from Mt. Pleasant, NC who was struck and killed by a distracted motorist in March 2010 as he commuted to work. Adam was a husband, Father of two, teacher, friend, and an avid cyclist. He was wearing appropriate safety gear, including a helmet and reflective clothing, and had a safety light installed on the back of his bike. The woman who struck and killed Adam was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle, a child restraint violation and possibly a following-too-closely violation.

It is our mission to:

* Increase the safety of all bicyclists in North Carolina
* Make bicycling safer in NC in order that it can be enjoyed by more people
* Make motorists more aware that there are bicyclists on the road too (Public Service Announcements, billboards, etc.)
* Make motorists aware that bicyclists have the same rights as any motor vehicle on the road
* Use Public Service Announcements to increase public awareness of bicyclists and the rules of the road
* Work with DPI/DMV to add to and revise the pool of questions that pertain to cyclists on the written portion of the NC driver's test (there are currently only two cycling questions in the pool and the chances of getting one of these questions on a test is just 1 in 5)
* Work with DMV to introduce simulator software (that can be run on a desktop PC with steering wheel and pedal attachments) in order to become the first state to train and "road test" a driver's knowledge of the rules of the road as they apply to bicyclists and how to apply those rules when encountering a bicyclist on the road
* Work with DMV to add the requirement that anyone renewing their driver's license must be able to also identify hand/arm signals (the majority don't remember what these signals mean)
* Work with the American Safety and Traffic Safety Education Association to develop a comprehensive cycling module to be incorporated into the national driver's ed curriculum, for adaptation and adoption by all states
* Work with the NC State Highway Patrol, Carolina Cycling Association and NC bicycle shops on a campaign to remind/encourage cyclists to obey the rules of the road and be courteous to motorists at all times; that campaign includes distributing water bottles with a message (a "pledge") thereon, and an informational card and wristband within. (The card may include statistics on the number of cyclists injured because they did not stop at a stoplight/sign as well as ways cyclists can make themselves more visible to motorists; the wristband reads Live Like Adam - Ride Like Adam.)

According to NCDOT, a bicyclist is struck by a motorist in NC every six hours. In addition, according to the 2012 Benchmarking Report of the Alliance for Biking & Walking, North Carolina ranks 44th out of the 50 states in terms of cycling/pedestrian safety (as determined by the number of annual fatalities). These are appalling statistics and simply must change. If you're interested in partnering with us or volunteering, which could be to make annoucements at races, post signs, hand out decals and wristbands, collect donations, or any number of things, please contact us by emailing theadamlittlefoundation@yahoo.com.

BILLBOARD OFF OF I85: We have gotten enough donations to purchase a billboard off of I85 for three months; the billboard will first be placed 1/2 mile South of Exit 60; thereafter, it may be rotated to other I85 exits. We hope the billboard will have an impact on the way that motorists view cyclists, and hopefully make them more careful around cyclists. We are grateful to Jerry Gragg at Lamar Advertising for the heavily discounted price he has given us for this billboard and to Kayla Gragg, one of Adam's students from several years ago who made this all happen.

Click here to view Bobby Labonte PSA

Click here to view our first PSA

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Our first PSA is finished (click on link above) and has been sent to numerous networks throughout North Carolina for airing. Stations will air the PSA at no cost during "off" hours but we are trying to collect donations in order to air these PSAs during peak times.

SECOND PSA FEATURING BOBBY LABONTE COMPLETED: (click on link above) We are grateful to Mr. Labonte for taking time out of his very busy schedule to do this. This PSA will begin airing in May for National Bicycle Month. We expect much more air time given that this PSA is a shorter 30-sec spot but need to raise more funds to purchase airtime. Even $5 helps because if everyone gave just $5, it would add up to a significant amount.

HAND SIGNALS POSTER: Our poster design is now complete (see link below). We are having posters printed, which DMV has agreed to hang up in every DMV office in NC. Given that the NC Driver's Handbook does not even contain the universal hand signals (only descriptions thereof), we hope that motorists will become more familiar with the hand signals, including the variations used by cyclists.

Click here to download Hand Signals Poster