God Speed Anita

In a split second it was over… How could this happen? Anita Zaffke was enjoying some quality two wheel time in Lake Zurich IL Saturday afternoon, May 2nd and noticed the light was turning red. Zaffke stopped and waited for the light to change so she could resume her ride. The light never did turn Green for Zaffke.
Zaffke was struck by Lora Hunt, 48 who admittedly was painting her nails at the time she hit Zaffke with her Chevy Impala. According to Lake County Sherriff Mark Curran, Hunt conceded that she was not paying attention and did not see the motorcycle stopped in front of her.
Zaffke was wearing a helmet and reflective vest when struck. The impact was so violent that it threw Zaffke and her Honda Shadow about 200 feet up the road. Think about it, 200 feet is the height of a 20 story building. Zaffke died about an hour later at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington IL. In just a split second Hunt took away everything that Zaffke was and could be. For Anita Zaffke, life was over.

The Lake County State’s Attorney is investigating the accident and will decide if criminal prosecution is warranted. Unfortunately, under existing statutes, proving felony vehicular homicide may be a difficult case to prosecute based upon the existing definition. State Rep. William Black (R-Danville) sponsored the "negligent vehicular homicide" bill which would carry a penalty of up to 3 years in prison. Black introduced the bill this year after a bicyclist in his district was killed by a motorist downloading ringtones to a cell phone. Under the proposed law, distracted drivers who cause deaths would face a prison sentence as well as a $25,000 fine and revocation of their driver's license for at least one year upon conviction.
This tragedy has renewed the debate in Illinois whether a momentary distraction amounts to criminal behavior, comparable to drunken driving.

Let’s face the facts. Motorcycle accidents and fatalities are a major concern. "Our nation’s greatest traffic highway safety challenge is motorcycle fatalities," says U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, noting that biking deaths are rising while other vehicle fatalities are declining”. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2007, 5,154 people died in motorcycle crashes, the highest level since NHTSA began collecting data in 1975. The 2007 figure represents a 6.6 percent from 4,837 the previous year. Motorcycle crash fatalities have increased every year for the past 10 years. Motorcyclists were 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash per vehicle mile traveled in 2006 and eight times more likely to be injured, according to NHTSA.
Zaffke’s accident is a fairly rare occurrence. According to the NHTSA, Only 5 percent of motorcycle fatalities were struck in the rear. 78 percent of the motorcycles fatalities involve two vehicles were struck the impact is in the front. So what can my 7.1 million biker brothers and sisters do to help address this epidemic? As bikers we need to be seen and heard. I hope you join me in supporting legislation like the negligent vehicular homicide bill that would allow us to effectively prosecute those who do us harm.

I would also ask you to join me in developing your skills to provide emergency medical assistance to the victims of accidents. What we do immediately after an accident until professional emergency response personnel arrive can and does save lives. I invite you to visit the Rescue Riders http://www.rescueriders.org/ and ask yourself if you are ready to “Ride for a Reason”.
If you are, I am happy to share with you that the Rescue Rider program once again has received grant support from the Allstate Foundation and the law firm of Hupy & Abraham. This support will help train another 500 Rescue Riders this year. Please visit the Illinois Blog Spot http://www.illinoisblogspot.com/ for details on how our new grants can help pay for your training.

Well, that’s it for this month. When I am not sharing my wisdom with you via my Thunder Roads editorials or running the Rescue Rider program, I run an insurance agency West of Chicago. For the past two years I have been working with the Allstate “pointy heads” to reinvent motorcycle insurance. I am happy to share with you that starting June 11th, Allstate will roll out our newly designed motorcycle insurance policies. As a lifelong biker myself, I wanted to create a policy that not only protects your possessions and liability but also you. Our new policy is the first ever to pay you should you have an accident which keeps you from working for as long as you are disabled. That’s right, protection for the rider… It’s a first so if you want the best policy in the industry there really is only one choice… Allstate.. I enjoy working with fellow bikers helping you protect what matters most. If I can help you with your insurance please drop me a note at deanakey@allstate.com or give me a call at 877-232-9899. I would love to hear from you. Until next month, enjoy the ride.

Passing The Torch

Welcome back to the Bull Pen. If you don't remember me, my name is Dean Akey and I will be your guide for another fun filled edition. Are you ready? OK then, let’s get started…
It has been said that four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul. Riding always has been a spiritual journey for me. My journey started twenty five years ago with Laverne. Laverne was my 1979 Harley Sportster. Since Laverne, I have had quite a few more spiritual relationships. Betty, my 2001 Road King has been the longest and quite honestly the most spiritual of all of the relationships I have had over the years.

Betty has served me well over the years taking me across country more times than I can remember. She was with me when I was hit head on by a minivan on a crisp Sunday morning. I was in Plainfield and was hit on a single lane metal grate bridge. The accident left me with a broken collar bone, ten broken ribs and a head that looks like something out of a horror movie. The insurance folks wanted to throw in the towel on Betty but I would not hear of it. I was lucky to be alive and Betty took the lion’s share of the damage to protect me. I figured if I am still here that Betty should be as well. Betty and I began to heal together and we both returned to the road once again. Of course she looked much better than I did. Every time I threw my leg over Betty, I would stroke her tank and ask her to once again help me complete my journey. Over time I would give Betty presents like the thirteen guardian bells that adorned her handle bars. Those were Betty’s earrings. The color matched Iron Braids that were on her clutch and break levers were her long flowing hair. Over time Betty started to show signs of getting “tired”. I didn’t really notice much as I always saw Betty as something more than a motorcycle. She was as beautiful to me as any motorcycle ever made. I was and still am in love with my girl.
We had a connection that I am sure many of you have with your trusty scooters. I could tell by the sounds or feel if there was anything wrong with my girl. I believe the key to any lasting relationship is being dialed into the needs of your partner.

You may be surprised to know but in addition to being Editor of Thunder Roads, I am also an Ordained Minister. I don’t hold a position in a church but do have quite a strong relationship with my God. My God and my soul mate Eileen, who is my bride of nineteen years, helped me realize that it was time to make the change. The wonderful folks at Zylstra who originally introduced me to Betty in 2000 and had built her over the years to my specifications understood my attachment and actually did an amazing job helping me. Tiny, Zylstra’s GM was more of a grief counselor for me than I could have hoped for. I took delivery of my fourteenth motorcycle and decided to name her “Black Betty”. If you are wondering why I chose the name Betty let me explain. Betty was named after the 1940’s pinup legend Betty Page. To me Betty Page was beautiful before you could buy beautiful and she didn’t know it.

My wish is that Betty’s next relationship is as wonderful as ours has been and I wish her well. Betty and I had in common our restlessness and love of the open road. Now my attention is focused on building my new relationship with my new 2009 Street Glide “Black Betty”.
Black Betty & Betty Betty & Black Betty You may notice from the pictures of Betty & Black Betty that I have dedicated my new scooter to the Rescue Riders. Thanks to the generosity from the law firm of Hupy & Abraham and Allstate Insurance Company, we have trained over 500 volunteer Rescue Riders in Illinois & Wisconsin. These fellow bikers have the training and tools to help victims of accidents. In 2009 we will be training more Rescue Rider volunteers so stay tuned. If you would like to learn more about the Rescue Riders please visit our website http://www.rescueriders.org/.

Well, that’s it for this month. When I am not sharing my wisdom with you via my Thunder Roads editorials or running the Rescue Rider program, I run an insurance agency West of Chicago. I enjoy working with fellow bikers helping you protect what matters most. If I can help you with your insurance please drop me a note at deanakey@allstate.com or give me a call at 877-232-9899. I would love to hear from you. Until next month, enjoy the ride.