As Luis Rivera grabbed his keys and headed out the door, his wife, Jordana, did something unusual — she reminded him to put on his helmet. She had never felt the need to say it before, but something urged her to that day.
Little did she know that her life would be forever changed after he walked out the door.
On Feb. 7, 2021, Luis Rivera was struck and killed in Kendall while riding his motorcycle when a driver failed to yield. The couple had been married 10 years and had two children together.
“It was unreal at that moment,” Zarut said. “I went into a body shock, yet I had to be strong enough to explain to two small children what had happened.”
Amid her grief, Zarut needed a way to process the overwhelming emotions, to make sense of her loss, and to regain a sense of control. It was then that Respect the Ride was born – an organization dedicated to raising awareness about motorcycle safety. It was created with another non-profit Zarut established, Young Dreams Community Outreach.
Florida, which has no helmet law for motorcycle riders and passengers over 21 if they have a certain amount of medical insurance, ranks among the states with the highest number of motorcycle fatalities in the country. Last year, there were 578 deaths and more than 8,000 injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents, according to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department. The two prior years saw the number of fatalities at over 600. There have been 126 motorcycle deaths this year, as of early April.
Respect the Ride’s website offers safety tips on avoiding distractions, understanding motorcyclist hand signals, staying alert at intersections, and more.
Respect the Ride also offers a toolkit for participants to download. It comes with a quiz, a tip sheet and a pledge to take. The pledge includes a list of actions people must live by to be responsible drivers, such as staying attentive and using turning signals.
When Zarut’s oldest son, Arire, was looking to obtain his driver’s permit, she had an observation on the curriculum.
“They don’t teach you how to share the road,” Zarut said. “Like they teach you these basic things, but they don’t teach you if you give a little bit of extra space or if you wait a second or two for them [motorcyclists] to go by at the stop sign.”
“You know, so when these kids are getting their restricted or already starting to drive, not only can they save lives, they can avoid having a tragedy in general like within them,” Zarut said
Determined to address this gap, Zarut launched a petition to integrate Respect the Ride into driver’s education programs, ensuring that new drivers learn how to safely share the road with motorcyclists before receiving their permits.
Zarut also instilled the importance of helmet safety for motorcycle drivers.
“Helmets are one of the items that we teach as gear that should be worn as a rider to protect your temple and your face in the case of an accident,” Zarut said. “We teach students that helmets have expiration dates, and they must not buy a helmet that is expired because it will not be effective.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), helmets reduce motorcycle rider fatalities by 22% to 42% and brain injuries by 41% to 69%
Kailey Urbina, a 20-year-old college student from Miami who is currently in the process of obtaining her driver’s license, said Respect the Ride is an eye-opening resource.
“The website is very detailed, and the quiz was a good refresher because it made me realize how much I was not aware of motorcycle safety, ” Urbina said.”I think it would make a great difference and will help our next generation of drivers.”
Zarut isn’t the only one who has noticed the dangers motorcyclists face on the road.
Francesca Cagnana is a 22-year-old college student from Miami whose father rode and raced motorcycles. can attest to the lack of consideration riders receive on the road from other drivers. “It was never him that made me feel unsafe except for the other cars,” Cagnana said.
Along with Respect the Ride, Zarut is giving back to her community through partnering with student volunteers and other groups to support families across Miami-Dade. Through this collaboration, she helps provide safety and educational materials to those in need.
“I believe the work Jordan has done for the people of Miami is life-changing,” said Zarut’s co-chair, Cynthia Ayala. “There are people in this world who just care. Being a part of her organization has not only helped me help all kinds of people — children, single parents, elderly, teachers, homeless, immigrants, and people from all walks of life.”
Zarut is actively working toward her goal of making Respect the Ride a mandatory part of driver’s education in high schools, seeking the support of lawmakers and launching a petition drive to help move the initiative forward.
“I’m just trying to be the best mom to my children and want to make a difference in the world,” Zarut said.
