Group Rallies For Distracted Driving Awareness

Gray skies and late afternoon showers didn’t stop a group of people from gathering for a distracted driving awareness rally Saturday.

The second annual Epic Memorial Ride began with a motorcycle ride from Delavan, Wis., to Paulus Park in Lake Zurich, where attendees enjoyed lunch, music, vendor booths, an auction and a BMX stunt show.

The Epic Memorial Ride was hosted by the Coalition for Responsibility & Accountability on Our Streets & Highways, or CRASH,  a local nonprofit organization that works on developing greater awareness about the potentially catastrophic consequences of distracted driving. The group also advocates legislation that would increase the penalties associated with such cases, according to Greg Zaffke, president of the organization.

Zaffke said the event was about more than his own loss. Zaffke’s mother, Anita Zaffke, was killed in a crash involving a distracted driver in 2009. He said more than 5,000 people are killed in such crashes in the United States every year.

“Fifteen people today will have been killed by a distracted driver,” Zaffke said. “So as much as we’re out here because it all started with my mom’s death, we’re out here for awareness for many, many other families out there that have suffered the same.”

The Epic Memorial Ride was an escorted ride with police - state and local - leading the group and clearing intersections. Lake Zurich Police Officer Brendan Arden directed traffic and made sure the lights were green as the procession rumbled through several Lake Zurich intersections.

Arden, a 22-year police department employee, said the event was good for the community because it brought attention to an issue he sees on the road every day.

“It gets people talking about (Anita Zaffke’s crash) if they didn’t hear about it," Arden said. “I see a lot of people on cell phones, including in school zones. I think they would be a lot more aware and concentrating more if they were not on their cell phones.”

Twyla Blakely, a victims advocate for Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, or AAIM, represented one of several organizations at the event. Blakely said she goes to court with victims of drunk driving crashes every day and runs a grief support group. She said she is the second set of ears for families that are often numb and in a sort of daze when these tragedies occur.

Blakely said she represented AAIM at the event for a number of reasons, including to support the CRASH Coalition and to let the motorcycle community know about a motorcycle ride fundraiser that AAIM is holding in August.

Blakely added that AAIM recently began advocating on behalf of victims in distracted driving cases in addition to the victims of intoxicated driving because they saw a need.

“We’re so busy with intoxicated motorists, both from drinking and from drugs, that it takes a lot of our time," said Blakely. "But there’s a big need for this because there’s a lot of people texting, phoning, doing things they shouldn’t do in cars, and we’re seeing an awful lot of increase in those cases."

Zaffke said distracted driving comes in all shapes and forms, and regardless of what the distraction is, it is still extremely dangerous.

“Driving with a hand-held or hands-free phone is like driving with a .08 blood alcohol level,” Zaffke said. “Your reaction time is the same as a .08 blood alcohol level just talking on your phone, whether you’re holding it or just using a Bluetooth.”

Zaffke said some people are not aware of the danger and have misconceptions about their abilities to focus on the road.

“You have plenty of time to drive,” Zaffke said. “Driving is easy. Driving while distracted is hard, and people end up getting killed because of it.”

Zaffke said the first line of defense is noticing distracted drivers.

“Whatever they’re doing, it’s a good first step for your safety just to be aware of that fact because if they’re swerving, if they’re driving slow, it’s important to be aware that they’re out there,” Zaffke said.

While Zaffke estimated the turnout at this year’s Epic Memorial Ride as lower than last year, he remained confident that progress was still made.  Zaffke said he hopes to add a bicycle ride and walk/run to next year’s event. That way, three groups of people greatly affected by distracted driving will be involved, he said.

“So it’s one step in the right direction to building it to be an awareness event that becomes an institution every year, that people know exactly why we’re riding and what we’re riding for,” Zaffke said. “And hopefully they pay attention while they’re driving because of it.”