It's been over a year since Anita Zaffke was killed by Lora Hunt, who plowed into her motorcycle because she was distracted by painting her nails. Now, Zaffke's friends, family, and supporters might finally have an opportunity to start the healing process: on May 6th, Lora Hunt was found guilty of wreckless homicide. According to American Motorcyclist, Hunt showed no emotion as the jury read the verdict. She will be sentenced this June, and faces up to five years in prison.
Anita's son Greg Zaffke carried the torch for his late mother's cause by founding the Black Nail Brigade, and painting his nails black in order to raise awareness for his mother and the dangers of distracted driving. Following the decision, Zaffke gave a painfully honest assessment of the ruling. "There are no winners today. There is no celebration or happiness. Two families will forever carry the hurt and anguish caused by one person's reckless actions behind the wheel."
Sources: American Motorcyclist, blacknailbrigade.com
Related:
- Black Nail Brigade Draws Attention to Distracted Drivers
- How to be Seen on a Motorcycle
- Hundreds of "Share the Road" Signs Encourage Motorcycle Awareness in California
- Group Riding Techniques
- States Ban Texting While Driving*; Riders Breath (Small) Sigh of Relief
Photo © blacknailbrigade.com
And people wonder why using cell phones while driving is illegal across a good portion of Canada. The police constantly stop idiots who text while driving!
5 years isn’t even close to long enough.
I hope she rots in hell, a women dead of painted nails. What are we coming to.
Perhaps we need cars that have those operator presence devices like lawn mowers have – both hands on the wheel or it stops!
May god bless the Zaffke and the Hunt family – both families changed forever for nail polish.
SD
This woman was a motorcyclist. Are they even humans? Who cares!
Just last week I was on one of my favorites back roads that is now part of of detour route. An oncoming car veered toward me because the driver was looking down at his cell phone. Most people have questionable driving skills even prior to distractions.
As far as talking on the cellphone, texting while driving, doing your nails, whatever; it’d help if cops actually pulled people over and ticketed them for bad driving, whatever the cause. Banning *some* of the causes of crummy driving isn’t really ever going to help; regularly punishing bad driving probably would do far, far more. It’s kind of like training a puppy, folks; putting this woman in jail for five years isn’t stopping other people from driving poorly; it’s the same as shooting the puppy for peeing on the rug.
Dean…you’re absolutely right…no doubt at all.
What do you suggest? Have you ever been in a city / town / community with enough police to watch everyone all the time?
No, you haven’t…neither has any one else, nor will we. All they can do is the best they can do and thow the book at the ones they do catch.
The problem isn’t the police effort…it’s the gutless laws that do nothing to back up the police when some one is caught.
I have been known to follow a driver who has almost hit me due to inattentiveness and let them know how much of an idiot they are. I wait till they stop and get out of their car and then explain to them what they did wrong. Sometimes I explain it rather loudly.
Tom,
The urge to do what you did is off the charts – for all of us, but be careful! With road rage at an all time high (and let’s face…you succumbed to it too), you never know who’s going to turn around and ram you…or pull a 9mm out of the glove box.
Cheers!
The Zaffke family went too far. It appears they used the ‘distracted driver’ issue to exact revenge on a person that made a horrible mistake.
Almost every accident is due to some kind of distraction. I hope all involved can find peace.