Sept. 28, 2009 : Paying drivers to hang up their cell phones

>> Emily: ADMIT IT, YOU'VE DONE

IT, WHETHER IT'S GETTING

DIRECTIONS, MAKING A RESERVATION

OR UNIVERSITY CHATTING WITH A

FRIEND, EVERYONE WITH A CELL

PHONE HAS USED IT WHILE DRIVING.

THERE IS ONE MAN WHO IS TRYING

TO WEAN DRIVERS OFF THE HAB

HABIT.

JEFF LARSON SAYS DISTRACTED

DRIVING LEADS TO ROAD CRASHES

AND DEATHS AND HE'S OFFERING

DRIVERS COLD CASH TO PUT DOWN

THEIR CELL PHONES AND JEFF

LARSON, PRESIDENT OF THE SAFE

ROADS ALLIANCE IS HERE.

HOW DID YOU GET GOING ON THIS?

>> I HAVE BEEN A TRAFFIC

REPORTER IN BOSTON FOR ALMOST 20

YEARS NOW AND I HAVE TALKED

ABOUT A LOT OF ACCIDENTS AND I

JUST STARTED TO FIND THAT ONE OF

THE GREAT REASONS THAT PEOPLE

ARE GETTING IN ACCIDENTS NOW IS

BECAUSE OF THESE CELL PHONES.

>> Emily: THERE IS NO QUESTION

ABOUT IT.

I WAS OUT IN A WESTERN SUBURB

OVER THE WEEKEND.

A PERSON WAS COMPLETELY ON THE

OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD, ACROSS

THE DOUBLE LINE COMING STRAIGHT

AT ME LIKE THIS AND JUST SWERVED

AT THE LAST SECOND.

>> Emily:

>> YOU CAN SPOT THEM.

EVERYBODY CAN.

YOU CAN SEE UP AHEAD WHEN

SOMEBODY IS -- YOU DON'T KNOW

THEY'RE ON THE CELL PHONE BUT

YOU KNOW THEY'RE DRIVING

ERRATICALLY AND YOU THINK

THEY'RE ON THE CELL PHONE.

USUALLY THEY ARE.

>> Emily: HOW DO PEOPLE RESPOND

TO YOU?

YOU'VE GOT THE SIGN, OFFERING

THEM A BUCK TO PUT DOWN THEIR

CELL PHONE.

WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY TO YOU?

>> ALMOST -- ALMOST EVERYBODY

WHO SEES ME AND INTERACTS WITH

ME HAS BEEN VERY POSITIVE.

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE YOU GET

ONE --

>> Emily: TELLS YOU TO GO --

>> I GET A LOT OF THUMBS-UP,

HONKS, "YOU GO, BOY"

>> Emily: DO PEOPLE TAKE YOUR

DOLLAR?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Emily: REALLY?

>> MOST PEOPLE ACTUALLY WILL

REFUSE A DOLLAR, THEY'LL SAY,

"YOU CAUGHT ME, I KNOW I

SHOULDN'T BE DOING THIS, I DON'T

WANT THE DOLLAR, GIVE IT TO

CHARITY" SO I WOULD SAY THAT

MOST OF THE PEOPLE I INTERACT

WITH WILL REFUSE THE DOLLAR.

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE SOMEONE

WILL GET ON THE PHONE QUICKLY SO

THEY'LL HANG UP AND I'LL GIVE

THE DOLLAR TO THEM.

>> Emily: YOU HAVE A $500 LIMIT?

>> WE'VE RECENTLY GOT A DONATION

FROM A COMPANY THAT'S GOING TO

ALLOW US TO DO A LITTLE BIT

MORE.

>> Emily: REALLY.

>> YES.

>> Emily: SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE

-- WHERE DO YOU STAND?

WHERE ARE YOU USUALLY?

>> WE TRY TO MOVE IT AROUND.

I HAVE BEEN AT ROUTE 2 AND ROUTE

216, THE TURNPIKE OFFRAMP,

SOLDIERS FIELD ROAD, THE CIRCLE,

DOWN BY THE GLOBE BY THE OFFRAMP

FROM THE EXPRESSWAY TOO.

>> Emily: HOW ABOUT THE

NIGHTMARE CIRCLE IN NEWTON.

>> WHICH ONE IS THAT?

>> Emily: RIGHT WHERE EXIT 17 --

>> THE PROBLEM IS THAT YOU HAVE

TO GET TRAFFIC THAT'S BACKED UP

SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE I DON'T

WANT TO BE -- I WANT A LITTLE

BIT -- I WANT TO LIMIT MY OWN

DISTRACTIONS.

>> Emily: BIG BACK-UP.

PEOPLE ARE ON THE PHONE AND

THEY'RE GOING AROUND THE CIRCLES

AT THE SAME TIME.

>> WHEN WE GO THERE, WE'LL SAY

THAT YOU TOLD US.

>> Emily: PLEASE, PLEASE.

TEXTING, THOUGH, IS -- IS REALLY

A BIGGER ISSUE HERE.

ARE YOU ATTACKING THAT AS --

>> OF THE TWO -- YEAH, OF THE

TWO, TEXTING IS THE MOST

DANGEROUS OF THE ACTIVITIES.

NOT AS MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY

PARTICIPATE IN TEXTING ALTHOUGH

IT'S GROWING SIGNIFICANTLY SO

THE ACTION OF TEXTING IS -- YES,

IT IS THE MORE DANGEROUS OF THE

TWO.

TALKING ON A CELL PHONE IS A

COGNITIVE DISTRACTION, SO

WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ON THE

CELL PHONE WITH A HANDS-FREE OR

NOT, YOU'RE STILL DEALING WITH

THE PROBLEM THAT YOU ARE BEING

DISTRACTED BY IT.

THE IDEA OF BUCKS FOR HANGUPS

CAME ABOUT BECAUSE THERE IS A

SUMMIT THAT'S HAPPENING ON

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY IN

WASHINGTON, D.C. THAT RAY LAHOOD

IS PUTTING ON, WE'RE GOING TO

THAT, WE WANTED TO TRY, IN

ADVANCE OF THAT BRING ATTENTION

TO THIS ISSUE SO WE HAVE TALKED

A LOT ABOUT THE ISSUE OF TEXTING

WHILE DRIVING.

WE HAD AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN,

AN AWARENESS CAMPAIGN THAT WE

HAD BILLBOARDS AND SUBWAY

ADVERTISEMENTS AND A BUS STOP

SIGN THAT TALKED ABOUT TEXTING

WHILE DRIVING OVER THE SUMMER

TIME.

THAT WAS WELL RECEIVED.

BUT AT THIS POINT WE JUST WANT

TO --

>> Emily: TEXTING IS A WHOLE

OTHER CATEGORY LIKE READING THE

NEWSPAPER WHILE DRIVING.

>> IT IS.

MOST PEOPLE THINK OF TEXTING

LIKE TEENAGERS SAY WILL AN

S.M.S. MESSAGE, L.O.L. OR -- BUT

TEXTING IS A BROADER ISSUE.

TEXTING IS ANYTHING YOU'RE DOING

TO MANIPULATE THAT SMART PHONE,

YOUR BLACKBERRY AND IT'S NOT A

TEENAGE ISSUE -- WHEN I'M OUT

THERE AND I'M LOOKING AT PEOPLE

WHO ARE DRIVING, THESE ARE THE

C.E.O.'S, THE V.I.P.'S, THE

PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT THERE

MULTITASKING AND DOING A LOT OF

BUSINESS, RESPONDING TO EMAIL

DOOSHGS A LOT OF THINGS BEYOND

JUST THE ACT OF SORT OF SENDING

THAT SORT OF TEENAGE TEXT.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE ALSO

TRYING TO DO IS NOT FOCUS

EXCLUSIVELY ON TEENAGERS BECAUSE

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT GOES

ACROSS ALL DEMOGRAPHICS.

THERE WAS A HORRIBLE CASE IN

NEEDHAM SEVERAL MONTHS BACK

WHERE A DOCTOR INADVERTENTLY WAS

REPUTED TO BE ON HER BLACKBERRY

WHEN SHE BECAME INVOLVED IN AN

ACCIDENT AND PASSED AWAY -- I

DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S ACTUALLY

THE CASE OR NOT BUT IT'S NOT

JUST KIDS.

>> Emily: HOW MUCH LONGER ARE

YOU GOING TO KEEP THIS UP?

>> AS LONG AS -- AS LONG AS

PEOPLE ARE ON THE PHONE.

>> Emily: ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF

LEGISLATION?

IT SEEMS THIS IS SUCH

COMMONSENSE.

>> IT IS COMMONSENSE BUT I

RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS PROBABLY

NOT THE WILL -- THE POLITICAL

WILL TO BAN CELL PHONES

ENTIRELY.

I THINK THAT THERE IS A

POLITICAL WILL TO BAN THE ACT OF

TEXTING, TO STOP PEOPLE FROM

DOING THAT, AND I -- I -- I AM

IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION THAT

BACKS THAT.

I'M NOT SURE THAT I'M IN SUPPORT

OF CELL PHONE LEGISLATION --

HERE IS WHY.

BECAUSE I THINK THAT WITH --

CELL PHONE USE CAN BE DONE

PROPERLY SO THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT

SIGNIFICANTLY DISTRACTED.

KEEP THE CALL SHORT.

GET ON THE CALL, GET THE

INFORMATION, GET OFF THE PHONE,

DON'T DO IT IN TRAFFIC, DON'T DO

IT IN BAD WEATHER.

>> Emily: IN TRAFFIC IS THE BEST

TIME TO DO IT.

>> NO, IT'S NOT THE BEST TIME TO

DO IT.

YOU'RE STOP-AND-GO.

>> Emily: SOMETIMES YOU CAN DO A

CROSSWORD PUZZLE TOO.

>> I THINK WE SEE YOUR PROBLEM.

>> Emily: I'M NOT A PHONE

PERSON.

I HAVE DONE SOME PUZZLES.

>> AND YOU SEE THAT TOO -- YOU

SEE PEOPLE JUST READING WHEN

THEY'RE DRIVING ALONG.

THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF

DISTRACTIONS BUT THIS IS ONE OF

THOSE DISTRACTIONS THAT IS JUST

MUCH GREATER THAN DRINKING A CUP

OF COFFEE OR HAVING -- IT'S --

IT'S BECOMING MUCH MORE

INSIDIOUS AND THERE ARE MORE

THINGS INVOLVED WITH IT AND

THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO FOCUS MUCH

MORE ON THIS THAN OTHER

DISTRACTIONS.

AND I THINK IF YOU USE YOUR CELL

PHONE PROPERLY, THEN IT'S OK,

BUT PEOPLE JUST DON'T USE IT

PROPERLY.

>> Emily: NO, THEY DON'T.

JEFF LARSON, KEEP IT UP, THANKS

FOR COMING.

THAT IS IT "GREATER BOSTON"

TOMORROW NIGHT THE BREAST CANCER

AWARENESS PINK RIBBONS AND WHAT

REALLY GOES TO THE CHARITIES

PLUS JARED BOWEN TAKES US TO THE

LATEST EXHIBIT.

TOMORROW NIGHT AT 7:00.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOODNIGHT. +++ATH0