Another motorcyclist dead because . . .

[DavidEBSmith]

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/05/motorcyclist-killed-by-driver-painting-fingernails.html

 

A motorcyclist was killed Saturday night when a driver, distracted while painting her fingernails, slammed into her at a traffic light near northwest suburban Lake Zurich, authorities said today.

 

Anita Zaffke, of . . . Lake Zurich, stopped at a yellow light . . . but the Chevrolet Impala behind her did not, said Lake County Coroner Richard Keller.

 

Zaffke, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown about 200 feet from her bike, according to Keller, who added that she died from chest and abdominal injuries about an hour later . . . .

 

Lake County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Scott Morrison said the Impala's driver was cited with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and could face additional charges. . . .

 

Keller said the driver told authorities she was painting her fingernails before the impact. Morrison said he could not comment on that aspect of the ongoing investigation.

 

"It appears to be a tragic accident and it appears she did nothing wrong," Morrison said, referring to Zaffke. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and she could not have done anything to avoid it."

 

Un-f***ing-believeable.

[DaveTheAffable]

That is just horrific. Driver inattention...

 

Fingernails, shaving, eating, make-up... it makes me ill.

 

 

Prayers going up for those she loved who remain, and have to deal with this tragedy.

[David]

Yeah, but we'll all be safer if text messaging is illegal.

 

200 ft? That would seem to indicate that the driver hit the rider at full speed.

[smiller]

"Lake County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Scott Morrison said the Impala's driver was cited with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and could face additional charges. . . . "

One might expect so... such as vehicular manslaughter.

[Dundee387]

This sucks. When stuff like this happens, it really makes me think if it's worth it (riding)?

 

Especially when I take my wife along.

 

Your dead, and the person that's responsible gets a $65 fine.....

[Mister Tee]

This sucks. When stuff like this happens, it really makes me think if it's worth it (riding)?

 

Yeah it sucks, but that's life. Shit happens. If you let that control you, you lost.

[MotorinLA]

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/05/motorcyclist-killed-by-driver-painting-fingernails.html

 

"It appears to be a tragic accident and it appears she did nothing wrong," Morrison said, referring to Zaffke. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and she could not have done anything to avoid it."

 

 

"Tragic accident"? I think not! Gross negligence is more appropriate. When you're painting your fingernails while operating a 3000+ lbs. battering ram at speed, it is just unforgivable in my opinion.

 

I won't be surprised if they give her a slap on the wrist and let her off with a minor sentence. A case like this should be seized upon and used as an example of things that are absolutely not tolerated by the public. Hit her with a negligent homicide charge and send her off to the Big House to ponder her complete lack of disregard for human life.

 

/rant

[Bud]

Very, very sad.

 

Colorado BMW rider died last week in a rear end accident.

 

Needless tragedy.

[Indy Dave]

apart from the obvious, it might be a good time for all of us to consider what, if anything we might also be doing while driving (either our bikes - fiddling with GPS, MP3 players, pulling off a glove to (fill in the blank) with a hand) or in our cars (eating, drinking, smoking, texting, celling, sorting etc). we have all seen many drivers distracted while riding - even some reading the paper.

 

as someone said - if you practice bad habits . . .

 

 

[Kathy R]

...tragic accident...

 

Are we going to have to resort to a pledge by drivers to notify them they have a responsibility when operating a motorized vehicle?

 

This was not an accident. The driver made a choice to paint her nails, rather than control the vehicle. Isn't this manslaughter?

 

My sympathy to the rider's family and friends. Tragic indeed.

[pmdave]

It's a sad tale, but a reminder of all the careless, ignorant, unskilled, and arrogant drivers out there.

 

If you want to survive years and years of motorcycling, you really need to get skilled at observing your surroundings, clever about what constitutes a hazard to you, and willing to swallow your pride and get out of the way of witless drivers.

 

Part of "swallowing your pride" is understanding that while we are expected to obey the laws, the laws will not protect a motorcyclist because we are a minority--perhaps even a disliked minority.

 

pmdave

[BanjoBoy]

It's a sad tale, but a reminder of all the careless, ignorant, unskilled, and arrogant drivers out there.

 

If you want to survive years and years of motorcycling, you really need to get skilled at observing your surroundings, clever about what constitutes a hazard to you, and willing to swallow your pride and get out of the way of witless drivers.

 

Part of "swallowing your pride" is understanding that while we are expected to obey the laws, the laws will not protect a motorcyclist because we are a minority--perhaps even a disliked minority.

 

pmdave

Down right tragic!

I've always felt that we live in a anti-motorcycle society. The killer in the car will probably pay less of a fine than a motorcyclist who turns on a red left arrow that their bike won't trigger.

Wasn't there a drunken senator who killed a motorcyclist, and got away with it?

This is why we must always be defensive, defensive, defensive!!!

 

[DavidEBSmith]

"It appears to be a tragic accident and it appears she did nothing wrong," Morrison said, referring to Zaffke. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and she could not have done anything to avoid it."

 

"Tragic accident"? I think not! Gross negligence is more appropriate. When you're painting your fingernails while operating a 3000+ lbs. battering ram at speed, it is just unforgivable in my opinion.

 

 

Unfortunately, the original article is not well written and it's perhaps a poor choice of words, but the sheriff is using "accident" in relation to the rider, not to the driver - in that there was nothing the rider could have done to avoid it or did that was at fault.

 

But I had to read it a couple of times to get that.

[Francois_Dumas]

I see not much difference between that finger-painting bimbo and your next uncaring terrorist.

[MotorinLA]

"It appears to be a tragic accident and it appears she did nothing wrong," Morrison said, referring to Zaffke. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and she could not have done anything to avoid it."

 

"Tragic accident"? I think not! Gross negligence is more appropriate. When you're painting your fingernails while operating a 3000+ lbs. battering ram at speed, it is just unforgivable in my opinion.

 

 

Unfortunately, the original article is not well written and it's perhaps a poor choice of words, but the sheriff is using "accident" in relation to the rider, not to the driver - in that there was nothing the rider could have done to avoid it or did that was at fault.

 

But I had to read it a couple of times to get that.

 

I've read it several times and only got that he referred to the whole incident as a "tragic accident", adding that there was nothing the motorcyclist could have done to save herself.

 

Many law enforcement agencies used to refer to a collision as a "Traffic Accident" or "TA". A large number of those agencies now use the term "Traffic Collision" or "TC" instead, because the term "accident" implied that nobody was at fault. Based on personal experience gained from investigating hundreds of traffic collisions, I can tell you that most collisions occur as a result of some kind of vehicle code violation. This is the reason that more tickets issued, result in fewer traffic collisions taking place. When drivers adhere to the rules of the road more closely, then the roads become safer for all that travel upon them.

 

But I digress...

 

In my opinion the Sheriff is already making excuses for the driver of the Impala by calling the collision a "tragic accident". Was it her intention to kill someone? No. Should she have been able to foresee that painting her fingernails while driving could result in a serious collision? Absolutely.

 

Again, IMO, he should have referred to it as an "act of inexcusable negligence", instead of a "tragic accident".

[Selden]

I had to deal with an aggressive SUV driver on I-85 yesterday near Charlotte, NC. I was in the leftmost lane, at the back of a line of cars. In my mirrors, I see a blue SUV coming up fast in the lane to the right. He has to brake hard, because there isn't enough space left to cut in front of me. Then the SUV moves cuts to the right, passes several cars, then cuts in on me. I move right to get away from this moron, and due to the luck of the draw find a hole in traffic, and eventually, I'm in front of him again. Several miles down the road, I get back in the left lane. In a few minutes my mirrors show the blue SUV again zigzagging through traffic again, eventually ending up on my tail. I flash the brake lights, and watch his nose dip. I'm guessing that at this point his wife pointed out that they had children on board, as the SUV started dropping back, and eventually disappeared from sight.

[Indy Dave]

Driving in Chicago can be challenging enough, let alone doing nails at the same time. Twenty years ago I was riding my GPZ up through Lake Shore Dr. Jumping off into the downtown area in a light drizzle, I suddenly found myself running a RED LIGHT! The lights in my town are all located high above the the intersections. In Chi-town they are on the street corners, and not very high at that (I guess the lights that I must have been stopped for before that must have had cars leading the way, so I was just stopping behind cars, not blazing the trail). I saw the red light as I was upon the intersection and instinctively and reactively grabbed a foot full of rear brake, locking it up and it started to step out. Scanning the cross traffic I see a car on a collision course - off the brake and a little throttle and I avoided the car that would have hit me if I had be able to stop. Fortunately, there was a break of cross traffic in the other lanes and I made it safely, knowing how lucky I had just been and knowing I had just lost another of my '9 lives'.

 

 

[ragtoplvr]

Just this morning I had a pretty young lady pull out halfway into the intersection before looking, as she was putting on Mascara. I saw her in plenty of time, so got on the brakes. Then I check mirrors, another young lady in an Accord behind me, did not see me slowing until she had to get on the brakes hard, still with cell phone up to her ear. Got on the throttle hard. Just another day in Paradise.

 

I try to keep keep focus, look ahead/behind/sides, detect situation before they become an emergency, know my escapes, etc. Two inattentive drivers at same time, it gets annoying!

 

Something has to change, I do not know if charging her with Manslaughter will change things. But I approve of it!

 

Good thoughts to the families......... Car and bike, they need it.

 

May every day where the rider is now, be beautiful, the roads curved just so and the bike running perfect.

 

Rod

 

[DaveTheAffable]

This sucks. When stuff like this happens, it really makes me think if it's worth it (riding)?

 

Especially when I take my wife along.

 

Your dead, and the person that's responsible gets a $65 fine.....

 

Not that it matters... but the innattentive driver could have (and they do!) just as easily hit a pedistrian, bicyclist, or a small compact car. The end results may have been the same.

 

It just reminds us all that we in the motorcycling community are vulnerable.

[Francois_Dumas]

 

Something has to change, I do not know if charging her with Manslaughter will change things. But I approve of it!

 

 

 

I doubt it. Nobody will notice except the few close and directly involved.

 

What needs to change is the mandatory proper education of new drivers, proper (i.e. difficult) exams, and repeated checks. Add to that lifelong retraction of licenses when committing to a number of 'traffic crimes'.....

 

That should at least make a few people think.....

 

I know the times when it was considered an 'art' or a 'skill' to drive. In those days most accidents happened because of technical problems of the vehicles, NOT because people didn't know or didn't care how to drive.

 

 

[DavidEBSmith]

A follow up today says the State's Attorney is pondering criminal charges. Also that the rider was wearing a "bright yellow cycling jacket", but that the driver didn't see her until after making contact, for those of you who trust in Hi-Viz.

 

Family photo of the dead rider, Anita Zaffke:

 

[Nice n Easy Rider]

A follow up today says the State's Attorney is pondering criminal charges. Also that the rider was wearing a "bright yellow cycling jacket", but that the driver didn't see her until after making contact, for those of you who trust in Hi-Viz.

 

Family photo of the dead rider, Anita Zaffke:

 

 

I don't trust in Hi-Vis. I just think it's somewhat better than 'Lo-Vis'. When the driver following you isn't even looking at the road there isn't much you can do except perhaps hope to see them in your mirror and then try to pop out of the way before the collision. I'm not sure than many (any) of us on this board would have avoided that collision. Truly tragic.

[tallman]

Until the punishment fits the crime...

[ragtoplvr]

 

 

What needs to change is the mandatory proper education of new drivers, proper (i.e. difficult) exams, and repeated checks. Add to that lifelong retraction of licenses when committing to a number of 'traffic crimes'.....

 

 

I agree, BUT:

 

I think a big part of the reason this does not fly in the USA is a profound lack of public transportation alternatives. A few big cities have buses and trains that work. Chicago and Denver I have had good experiences with them. But most of the country is lacking. There is not much alternative except a liquor cycle (unlicensed 50CC scooter) or taxis which cost way more than most could afford. Driving is seen as a right, so people get really up in arms if we tried that.

 

There there is the anti-intellectual movement, heaven forbid if you are required to learn anything.

 

Instead they would rather fine you, and there the preference is for speeding and other fines over manslaughter, as few oppose the other fines, it is easy money.

 

Rod

 

[DaveTheAffable]

A follow up today says the State's Attorney is pondering criminal charges. Also that the rider was wearing a "bright yellow cycling jacket", but that the driver didn't see her until after making contact, for those of you who trust in Hi-Viz.

 

PLEASE... let's not use her death as any kind of suggestion that Hi-Viz lacks value. It could have been a bright yellow fire truck in the intersection!

 

Fact - The lady wasn't looking.. therefore she can't "SEE".

 

Fact - Drivers who have participated in studies that were LOOKING down the road report that hi-viz was easier to see. Thats all. No magic. Doesn't reflect bullets or 3000lb cars driven by people who were PAINTING THEIR FINGERNAILS.

[TyTass]

I'm not sure than many (any) of us on this board would have avoided that collision. Truly tragic.

All we can do is everything we can do ... practice remaining aware as much as humanly possible ... practice our skill set and work to improve them as much as we are able ... work at being visible while riding like we are invisible to everyone else on the road ... yada yada yada ... and on again ... and perhaps writing our state and federal represemntatives (if for no other reason than to perhaps heighten the awareness staffer's who will read the email/letter). But we can't completely stop these senseless tragic events.

 

I know I can do a few more things: mourn the passing of a fellow rider, drink a toast to her life, and wish for better times for her loved ones.

[Francois_Dumas]

Force people to walk and ride bicycles again and I am sure someone will start building pubic transport

[Quinn]

Francois, there is a growing percent of our population that is driving without a license (and therefore without insurance). Apparently, we don't have enough of a penilty or inforcement to deter those people. Threatening to take away a license is almost a hollow threat.

 

 

[beemerman2k]

Wow, this is a terrible tragedy.

 

While I agree that the most important piece of gear we carry is our own brains, and we need to constantly educate ourselves as to how to stay alive out there, I have received countless compliments from drivers and riders alike over my Hyper-lites. You can buy these at Cycle Gadgets.com. They are ultra-bright red LED lights that supplement your brake lights. They are true attention getters; when you touch the brakes, you can see the cars instantly back off behind you.

 

An even better tactic is to always be fully aware of who is around you -- and especially who is behind you. When I see cars like that SUV Seldon described, I do what I can to let the nutcase get in front of me where I can keep an eye on him. Then I like to fade back a ways so that I am not in the mix when he finally makes that fatal flaw and cars start spinning out all around him.

 

Never ever assume or trust your fellow drivers. Prepare for the worse, and be grateful when it does not happen

[upflying]

Ok, is there anything Anita could have done to protect herself besides wearing high Viz and the Hyperlite suggestion?

How about a lane split to the front of the line? If that's illegal at least you will be alive to sign the ticket.

If you can't or won't lane split, how about stopping your bike so you have an emergency escape between stopped cars ahead of you. Leave your bike in first and watch your "six" while stopped. See a bimbo approaching from behind? Pull through the stopped cars to PROTECT yourself and let the cages take the rear end hit.

The article does not say exactly where in the lane she was stopped when she was hit but if she was stopped in the oil stripe, she paid dearly for that mistake.

I'm not trying to ignore the responsibility of the beauty queen who was applying make-up but they will always be out there in one form or another. Ride as if they are all trying to kill you so you will stay alive. Had she been in the extreme left of the left wheel position of the lane, the cage may have missed her.

[Nice n Easy Rider]

Ok, is there anything Anita could have done to protect herself besides wearing high Viz and the Hyperlite suggestion?

How about a lane split to the front of the line? If that's illegal at least you will be alive to sign the ticket.

If you can't or won't lane split, how about stopping your bike so you have an emergency escape between stopped cars ahead of you. Leave your bike in first and watch your "six" while stopped. See a bimbo approaching from behind? Pull through the stopped cars to PROTECT yourself and let the cages take the rear end hit.

The article does not say exactly where in the lane she was stopped when she was hit but if she was stopped in the oil stripe, she paid dearly for that mistake.

I'm not trying to ignore the responsibility of the beauty queen who was applying make-up but they will always be out there in one form or another. Ride as if they are all trying to kill you so you will stay alive. Had she been in the extreme left of the left wheel position of the lane, the cage may have missed her.

 

Since there was no mention of a third vehicle being involved I'm assuming that Anita was first in line at the stoplight. I don't think lane-splitting would have helped her in this situation. Given that she was thrown 200 ft I think that the driver that hit her probably never applied the brakes and that is the sense I got from the news report. Given the distance Anita was thrown I also doubt that she could have responded in time even if she noticed that the driver wasn't applying the brakes.

[Paul Mihalka]

Being first in line and alone, the only thing that might have saved her is not being close to the center of the lane but to one side so the car has a escape space if she is seen in the last instant. Sounds to me the car driver saw her AFTER she hit her. No salvation there.

[upflying]

Ok, is there anything Anita could have done to protect herself besides wearing high Viz and the Hyperlite suggestion?

How about a lane split to the front of the line? If that's illegal at least you will be alive to sign the ticket.

If you can't or won't lane split, how about stopping your bike so you have an emergency escape between stopped cars ahead of you. Leave your bike in first and watch your "six" while stopped. See a bimbo approaching from behind? Pull through the stopped cars to PROTECT yourself and let the cages take the rear end hit.

The article does not say exactly where in the lane she was stopped when she was hit but if she was stopped in the oil stripe, she paid dearly for that mistake.

I'm not trying to ignore the responsibility of the beauty queen who was applying make-up but they will always be out there in one form or another. Ride as if they are all trying to kill you so you will stay alive. Had she been in the extreme left of the left wheel position of the lane, the cage may have missed her.

 

Since there was no mention of a third vehicle being involved I'm assuming that Anita was first in line at the stoplight. I don't think lane-splitting would have helped her in this situation. Given that she was thrown 200 ft I think that the driver that hit her probably never applied the brakes and that is the sense I got from the news report. Given the distance Anita was thrown I also doubt that she could have responded in time even if she noticed that the driver wasn't applying the brakes.

Ok, if you are first in line at a red light, you can still watch your six and PROCEED either right, straight or left through that red light to avoid this disaster. Could someone react in time to make an evasive maneuver to avoid someone about to collide into the rear of you? If you are watching your six, you should be able see a car 300' behind you. At 45 mph, that car is traveling 66 FPS.

So Anita would have about 4.5 seconds to decide what to do to save herself. That is sufficient time to see, react and avoid isn't it? Also the "thrown 200'" report does not make sense from a physics standpoint. You are ejected off a bike right where you were stopped when you are rear-ended. The ejection usually means you do a head plant on the windshield area of the vehicle that hit you. The vehicle then carries you forward to a point of rest (in this case 200' after maximum engagement) after the collision.

[ragtoplvr]

at 45 mph, that car is traveling 66 FPS.

So Anita would have about 4.5 seconds to decide what to do to save herself. That is sufficient time to see, react and avoid isn't it? Also the "thrown 200'" report does not make sense from a physics standpoint. You are ejected off a bike right where you were stopped when you are rear-ended. The ejection usually means you do a head plant on the windshield area of the vehicle that hit you. The vehicle then carries you forward to a point of rest (in this case 200' after maximum engagement) after the collision.

 

If the car was going 45, it is 4.5 seconds. If they were going 70....

 

Looking thru the little mirrors, between checking to see if the light had changed, Anita would have had a maximum of 4.5 seconds to detect the car and determine the rate of deceleration BEFORE she could begin evasive action. Cars are coming up on you all the time at a light, one not stopping takes a bit more time to detect. People are in such a hurry anyway, they brake late. For Anita to be knocked 200 feet, to me implies more than 45 MPH.

 

Anita did things right, the beauty queen is guilty of murder. I hope the riders family sues her and she never can afford to drive again. Problem solved. Part of me could live with pulling off the beauty queens fingernails. That way she would have a life time reminder every time she looked at her hands. Sometimes I worry myself.

 

Much of the public would be all over you if you carry a gun and it went off accidentally, and killed someone. BUT if you are simply a time challenged beauty queen doing your nails, driving a 2 ton battering ram, you get off with a fine. Bull

 

Rod

 

 

[pmdave]

A few years ago NHTSA changed terminolgy from "accident" to "crash." The idea is that a crash may be the outcome, but there are often ways in which the involved parties could have avoided it. Obviously, there are situations where you can't predict or can't do anything about what's happening. (think of a tanker truck rolling off an overpass and splatting on traffic beneath, or a chain binder failing on a log truck just as you happen along, or an airplane sliding off a runway and across the highway at the end of the airport.)

 

Although the vast majority of collisions are with the front of the motorcycle, there are a small number of rear-enders ("shunts" in UK slang) Because of this, when I'm sitting at a stop, I stay back behind any vehicles ahead of me, I keep the transmission in 1st, and I monitor the mirrors. If a car coming up behind me doesn't seem to be decelerating to match the situation, I can pull out of the way--say alongside the car ahead, or to an adjacent lane.

 

A veteran rider in England suggests that you stop the bike at an angle to the lane, not only to give yourself an easier path to escape, but also to present a larger image. To say that a rider is merely a victim of what happens is selling us all short.

 

I realize that about half of drivers around me are blind to motorcycles, but just to assist those who might be paying attention, I think there is an advantage to "decaying flash" LED stop lights and reflectors on the backs of saddlebags. (Retro-reflective sheeting, extra reflectors, etc.)

 

pmdave

[Indy Dave]

Agreed. I have gotten on the habit of leaving significant space at a light when stopped behind traffic as well. But I also notice that the cage that comes up behind me seems - to more times then not - stop closer to my bike when i stop leaving a cushion zone ahead of me then when I might stop and leave a 'normal' amount of space that might not allow me to escape so cleanly.

 

Flashing brake and/or more tail (and front) lights can only help. Same with the Hi Rez. They may not prevent all situations, but they do help and only serve to even the odds some. While I don't currently have a Hi Rez, I have noted that I make out the rider on the highway that's wearing Hi Rez (IMO) significantly sooner then a non Hi Rez rider. That this innocent young lady was killed while wearing a vest is not to say they don't have an effect.

[Boffin]

I always stop well to the side of the lane, in the 'splitting' zone, in an attempt to allow inattentive/idiotic drivers to blow past me, not into me.

 

Andy

[Green RT]

Two "facts":

1) All the laws in the world are not going to get drivers to pay attention. No law is going to stop the cell phone usage, fingernail painting, paper reading, etc.

2) Short of running out of petroleum, the US is not going to provide decent public transit, nor is it going to get serious about taking the DWIs and other hazards off the road.

 

The only thing on the horizon that will prevent incidents like this is "smart" cars that see obstacles and stop the car in spite of the driver. And given our experience with left turn triggers, I don't have a lot of hope that those systems will be tuned to detect motorcycles.

[Bill_Walker]

1) All the laws in the world are not going to get drivers to pay attention. No law is going to stop the cell phone usage, fingernail painting, paper reading, etc.

 

We know suspending or revoking a driver's license doesn't work. How about if your car were impounded for the same length of time your license is suspended? I know, some folks could just go out and buy another car, but most couldn't. But of course, the lack of public transit would render this too harsh a sentence. But if that's the case, the suspending the license is also too harsh. Big deal.

 

BTW, the story at the original link has been updated. It notes that a state rep is already working on a bill for a '"negligent vehicular homicide" law, which would carry a penalty of up to 3 years in prison'. Good on 'em!

[Kathy R]

BTW, the story at the original link has been updated. It notes that a state rep is already working on a bill for a '"negligent vehicular homicide" law, which would carry a penalty of up to 3 years in prison'. Good on 'em!

 

Of those 36 months I wonder how many would be served behind bars? IMHO it should be a more life altering length of time. 10 to 25 years. You take a life? You have forfeited a big chunk of your own.

 

[upflying]

1) All the laws in the world are not going to get drivers to pay attention. No law is going to stop the cell phone usage, fingernail painting, paper reading, etc.

 

We know suspending or revoking a driver's license doesn't work. How about if your car were impounded for the same length of time your license is suspended? I know, some folks could just go out and buy another car, but most couldn't. But of course, the lack of public transit would render this too harsh a sentence. But if that's the case, the suspending the license is also too harsh. Big deal.

 

BTW, the story at the original link has been updated. It notes that a state rep is already working on a bill for a '"negligent vehicular homicide" law, which would carry a penalty of up to 3 years in prison'. Good on 'em!

Good idea, unfortunately politics would get in the way of an asset seizure of a vehicle for driving while suspended. Many people who drive on a suspended or revoked licesne fit into that socio-economic profile that our politicians love to protect. Most suspended drivers are not driving their own vehicle, it belongs to and/or is registered to another person for obvious reasons. Many suspended drivers never register the car in their name even if it does belong to them. How would you go about seizing a vehicle that has a note or loan on it? Right now LEO's in Kaliforniastan can impound a suspended drivers vehicle for 30 days. Unfortunately the owners are entitled to an appeal due to hardship reasons or other BS. Prosecution (in Contra Costa County) of suspended drivers never occurs in criminal court..it's normally handled in traffic court..if the defendant even bothers to appear. Writing a suspended driver citation might as well be done on toilet paper.

I stopped and towed a guy today for driving on suspended after I caught him 44mph in a 25mph school zone. He had 10 "failure to appear" for driving while suspended. Two kids were in the car and he was just taking them to school. My ticket will add number 11. Why doesn't he go to jail you ask? Because our jails are full of felons, misdemeanor offenders seldom, if ever, get jail time. Many people do not obey the law because they do not fear the consequences.

This goes back to an earlier comment that "Anita was right" and the makeup artist needs to be sued for every penny she has. I will assume all she has are pennies and she is uninsured. Why else would you barrel along oblivious to traffic while you apply makeup? Unfortunately Anita's survivors will get nothing.

Well yes, Anita was right, she is dead right. Myself and several others suggested Anita may have avoided the collision if she had positioned herself to one side of the lane. Since the law won't protect you, you need to ride to protect yourself and anticipate the unexpected.

 

[ragtoplvr]

I still fantasize about removing this woman's fingernails. However, that will only affect her.

 

She should do community service, many many hours of it. That should include traveling to schools, telling the story of how she killed a woman, her fault, she was sued, her legal bills are astronomical, she spent time in jail, etc. Pictures etc. I guess there is a female equivalent of something I heard a male parolee say, which was " I will never be able to trust a fart again." The look on his face, that was over 25 years ago, and I still remember that look. Also, they should play the song D.O.A. by bloodrock as they show various accident scenes. (go to you tube and watch the video) She should also be prohibited as a condition of her parole, from wearing fingernail polish.

 

And if someone who has the time, forms MADD (Motorcyclists Against Distracted Driving), post it here, and I will contribute.

 

Rod

 

[lvnvbiker]

You know the last woman I saw putting on makeup while doing 90 on the highway was in a newer BMW 3 series ragtop, so someone she knows has a few bucks available to afford the car. The issue here is that we in the US see driving as a right, not the privalge that it realy is. Along with that the absolute "displacement of blame" society that we have become seems to make most people look for anything else except themselves to blame for whatever they do. It starts with parents siding with thier children against teachers in school because there is no way that thier poor child would ever do anything wrong. In the overly litigeous(sp?) society that we have we seem to have lost sight of the value of standing up and taking responsablity for our own actions, and hiding our behavior behind a litany of excuses stemming from a bad childhood, low self esteem or what ever the shrink has decided that we have. I am not claiming to be perfect and in fact admit openly that I am FAR from it, but I stand up and openly admit my faults and mistakes taking full responsability for them. I truly hope that they throw the biggest book that they can find at the $%#&$ idiot woman, and that the family of the victim wins a judgement against her that puts the next 5 generations of her spawn in the poor house! OK, so how do I get down off of this horse? It's pretty high...

[MotorinLA]

BTW, the story at the original link has been updated. It notes that a state rep is already working on a bill for a '"negligent vehicular homicide" law, which would carry a penalty of up to 3 years in prison'. Good on 'em!

 

Of those 36 months I wonder how many would be served behind bars? IMHO it should be a more life altering length of time. 10 to 25 years. You take a life? You have forfeited a big chunk of your own.

 

Ever been inside a prison? If the offender actually had to serve 3 years in prison it would probably be a life altering experience. The problem is that most offenders don't serve their full term. Half time off for good behavior, time served prior to sentencing, etc. would make a 3-year sentence closer to a 1-year sentence in real time.

 

Our penal system certainly leaves something to be desired...

[jfremder]

A veteran rider in England suggests that you stop the bike at an angle to the lane, not only to give yourself an easier path to escape, but also to present a larger image. To say that a rider is merely a victim of what happens is selling us all short.

 

I like this idea DH!

 

In addition to watching my mirrors, I also flash my brake light a few times to traffic approaching from the rear. I always am in first gear when I'm first in line, ready to move if I don't like what I see approaching.

[upflying]

A veteran rider in England suggests that you stop the bike at an angle to the lane, not only to give yourself an easier path to escape, but also to present a larger image. To say that a rider is merely a victim of what happens is selling us all short.

 

I like this idea DH!

 

In addition to watching my mirrors, I also flash my brake light a few times to traffic approaching from the rear. I always am in first gear when I'm first in line, ready to move if I don't like what I see approaching.

So if you stop your bike at an angle in the lane, how are you going to watch traffic in your mirrors?

[TyTass]

Agreed. Let's face it, while stopped at a stoplight the likelihood of danger seems far greater from behind rather than from the front. So, it seems to me my attention should be allocated accordingly.

[smiller]

A veteran rider in England suggests that you stop the bike at an angle to the lane, not only to give yourself an easier path to escape, but also to present a larger image. To say that a rider is merely a victim of what happens is selling us all short.

The problem with this is that it could serve to increase rider injury under some circumstances. If tapped from behind in a low-speed collision I'd rather be knocked off of my bike than have my leg crushed by a bumper.

[upflying]

The other issue with stopping at an angle in the lane is other traffic may assume the lane is blocked or there is a hazard ahead. Traffic may try to change lanes to get around you because they could assume your are stalled in the lane. Driving customs in the UK may not necessarily mean the same thing to low performance American traffic.

[Quinn]

Okay, here's my hijack question:

 

How many, if any, of y'all have run a red light, zipped into the median, or squeezed between cars only to have the car behind you stop in plenty of time?

 

All this planning is great, but I'm just too slow to follow through. By the time I see the car in my distorted rear view mirrors, determine his closing speed, decide he's not going to stop, look up and execute my escape plan--Pow! I'm toast. Yet, all you guys seem to think that you can see well enough to determine that the car closing on you from the rear has a driver talking on his cellphone and drinking a cup of Starbuck coffee; and then let out your clutch and spurt off to the side, out of harms way. Wow! what reflexes!

 

I wear hi-viz and flash my flashing brakelights, but don't really see much chance to not get nailed by an oblivious driver.

 

If you don't respond to false alarms by jumping into the median, etc.; why do you think you'll respond to the real thing?