HANCEVILLE — A small but dedicated group of motorcyclists braved the heat Saturday morning as they prepared for their annual ride across Cullman County to honor the memory of Jay Kendall, who lost his life more than nine years ago when he was struck by a distracted teenage driver.

Kendall, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, had been on his way to work when the 2005 Yamaha motorcycle was hit by a 2002 GMC truck driven by a 17-year-old, who police reported was likely using a cellphone at the time of the accident. Kendall’s wife, Suzette, said she never felt as though justice was never truly served, which is why she began the Annual Jay’s Legacy Bike Rally to fight to have “Jay’s Law” bring stricter punishments for distracted drivers.

“Happy isn’t really a word I can throw around when it comes to this because nothing about this makes me happy. I wish I never had to do it at all, but I keep doing it,” she said.

J.R. Kennedy said he didn’t know Kendall extremely well in life. He said Kendall had been discussing forming a chapter of Kennedy’s motorcycle ministry at the time of his death. However, their brief interactions left a lasting impact which Kennedy continues to be influenced by. He delivers a monthly online sermon from the karaoke club, J&S Karaoke, which Jay and Suzette opened in 2010, and has helped organize the event for the past five years.

“A good man passed away here over something that was really insignificant. They could have pulled over and taken the time to make that call somewhere else. It’s such a small amount of time out of your life and I can guarantee that phone call isn’t as important as a man’s life,” Kennedy said.

Local State Rep. Randall Shedd has been pushing to increase legislative regulations banning cell phone use while driving, for several years to avail. He said it was only after 22-year-old Leah Grace Tarvin, from Holly Pond, was killed while using a crosswalk near the Jacksonville State campus that the issue received the support needed to take action.

In June, Gov. Kay Ivey signed SB301 making it illegal to hold a cellphone while driving with a limited number of exceptions.

“If this law prevents even one more person from being killed, hurt, or seriously injured by a distracted driver, it will have accomplished its purpose. Too many Alabamians have been lost because drivers could not wait to check social media, send a text, change a song or do any of the other things that today’s 21st century smartphones and mobile devices allow,” Shedd said in a statement sent to The Times.

An early report from Cambridge Mobile Telematics shows promising results from the new law. Just one month after its enactment on June 16, data shows a 2.4% reduction in the state’s distracted drivers.

Suzette said she is still worried the new law doesn’t go far enough. Originally, the law prevented any type of cell phone usage while driving, but exemptions were added such as allowing drivers to engage in phone calls, use navigation applications and to broadcast video from their phones.

Law enforcement also aren’t allowed to pull anyone over specifically for holding their phones and can only issue citations after a driver is observed violating other traffic regulations.

Kennedy does see this as a step in the right direction however, and is hoping that by continuing to raise awareness on the potential outcomes distracted driving can have, they can inspire more people to put their phones down.

“Hopefully events like this can help prolong the lives of those who are meant to be here longer. For now, just put your boots in the wind, get you a Holy Ghost grin and leave it to God to know the time it’ll end,” he said to send off Saturday’s riders.