IN
THE
MIDST
OF A
BUSY
THANKS
% GIVING
HOLIDAY
TRAVEL
SEASON,
% ANOTHER
THREAT ON THE
ROADWAYS:
% DISTRACTED
DRIVING.
% LAST
YEAR,
WISCONSIN
SAW
60
% FATAL CAR
ACCIDENTS AS A
RESULT.
% IN
TONIGHT'S
CLOSER
LOOK, A
NEW
% BILL IN
THE
STATE
LEGISLATURE
% AIMS
TO
TARGET
ONE COMMON
FORM
% OF
DISTRACTION: THE
USE
OF
% SMART PHONES.
% MARISA WOJCIK REPORTS
FROM
% HUDSON.
% >>
I
THOUGHT
I
COULD DO
IT% SAFELY.%I DID
IT
FOR
15
YEARS
WITHOUT AN
% INCIDENT.
% AND I
WAS
PRETTY DARN
GOOD
AT
% IT.
% AND I
THOUGHT,
WELL,
I'M A
% SAFETY CONSULTANT.
% I SHOULD BE
GOOD
AT
THIS.% >>
FOR
YEARS, TOO MANY GOELTZ
!
TOM
GOELTZ
OF
% HUDSON
DIDN'T
SEE
USING
HIS
% PHONE WHILE
DRIVING
AS A BIG
% DEAL.%>> MOST
OF
IT
WAS
OKAY.
% >>
EVEN
WITH
30
YEARS
EXPERIENCE
% IN OCCUPATIONAL
SAFETY,
HE
% DIDN'T THINK THERE
WAS A
% SIGNIFICANT DANGER
OF
SOMETHING
% HAPPENING WHILE HE
WAS BEHIND% THE WHEEL.%>>
YOU
DON'T
THINK
THAT
YOU'RE
% GOING
TO CRASH ON
YOUR
WAY
TO
% WORK
AND
YOUR
LIFE
IS
GOING
TO
% CHANGE.%>> BUT
ON A
FEBRUARY DAY
IN
% 2016, TOM WASN'T
THE
ONE
I
N
% DANGER.%IT
WAS
HIS
22-YEAR-OLD
DAUGHTER.% >>
UNFORTUNATELY,
MY
DAUGHTER
% MEGAN
WAS
KILLED
IN A
CAR
CRASH.
% AND IT WAS
DUE
TO A
DISTRACTED
% DRIVER.
% AND MEGAN
WAS
PREGNANT AT THE% TIME.
% AND I
LOST AN
UNBORN
GRANDSON.
% SHE
WAS
IN A CAR.
% SHE WAS
DRIVING
BACK HERE TO
OUR
% HOUSE,
AND SHE WAS
SITTING
AT A
% STOP SIGN
WAITING
FOR
ONCOMING
% TRAFFIC
WHEN
ANOTHER VEHICLE
% CROSSED OVER
THE
CENTER
LINE OF
% THE ROAD.%>>
FROM
THAT
DAY,
NEARLY
FOUR
% YEARS
AGO,
TOM
HAS
REFOCUSED HIS
% PERSONAL
AND
PROFESSIONAL
LIFE
% TO
RAISE
AWARENESS ABOUT
THE
% DANGERS
OF
DISTRACTED
DRIVING.% >>
SHE
DIDN'T STAND
MUCH
OF A
% CHANCE.
% AND THAT'S WHAT
HAPPENS
IN
% DISTRACTED
DRIVING-RELATED% CRASHES.
% YOU
KNOW,
THE
VEHICLES,
THEY'RE
% NOT
SLOWING
DOWN
BEFORE
THEY
HIT
% SOMEBODY
ELSE.% >>
BUT
THERE'S
ONE
TREND
TOM
% HOLDS
PARTICULARLY
RESPONSIBLE% FOR
THIS.
% SMARTPHONES.%>> IT'S
UNCANNY
THE
RELATIONSHIP
% BETWEEN
OUR
TRAFFIC
FATALITIES% ON
OUR ROADS
INCREASING AND
WHEN
% WE ALL
STARTED
GETTING
% SMARTPHONES.
% >> A SURVEY
FROM
THE NATIONAL
% HIGHWAY AND
TRAFFIC
SAFETY
% ADMINISTRATION SHOWS
5.3%
OF
% DRIVERS REPORTED
USING A
CELL
% PHONE WHILE DRIVING SHES WITH
% THE
MAJORITY
OF
THOSE
DRIVERS
% BEING
AGES
16
TO
24.
% >>
THOSE
STATISTICS CAN
OFTEN
BE
% MISLEADING.%>>
WISCONSIN STATE
PATROL
% LIEUTENANT
NATURE
!
NATE
HENRIK
SON
SAYS
% THESE
ARE
UNDER
REPORTED.% >>
WE'LL
TAKE
APPROPRIATE
% ENFORCEMENT ACTION
BASED ON THE
% EVIDENCE THAT WE
HAVE,
W
HETHER
% IT BEING
EVIDENCE
OF A
SPEEDING
% VIOLATION OR
FOLLOWING TOO
% CLOSE.%>>
THE
MESSAGE FROM
THE% DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION A
ND
% THE STATE PATROL
IS
THAT
OVERALL
% DISTRACTED DRIVING
IS
THE
% PROBLEM.
% AND
THAT
INCLUDES
SMARTPHONES.% >>
LAST
YEAR,
IN
2018, THERE
% WERE ABOUT
23,000
TRAFFIC
% CRASHES, WHICH
WERE A
RESULT
OF
% DISTRACTED
DRIVING.
% 9,000
OF
THOSE
CRASHES
WERE
% INJURY
CRASHES.
% AT
LEAST
60
OF
THOSE
WERE
% FATALITY
CRASHES.% >>
IN
WISCONSIN,
IT'S ILLEGAL
TO
% ON
TEXT
WHILE
DRIVING,
STREAM
% ENTERTAINMENT OR
USE A
HAND
% HOALD
DEVICE
WHILE
DRIVING
% THROUGH A
WORK
ZONE.
% BUT IT IS LEGAL
TO TALK
ON
YOUR
% PHONE, SO
THERE'S A BIT
OF A
% GRAY
AREA
OF WHAT
YOU
CAN
AND
% CAN'T DO
ON
YOUR
DEVICE.
% >>
AND
TALK
TO
!
STOP
AND
TALKED T
O
THEM
ABOUT
% IT.
% I
SAW YOU
WERE
DOING
SOMETHING
% ELSE
WHILE YOU WERE
DRIVING.
% IT'S
NOT
ILLEGAL
TO
TALK
ON
YOU
R
% PHONE
UNLESS
IT
DISTRACTS YOU.% >>
THERE'S A
NEW
BILL
IN
% WISCONSIN
THAT
WOULD
PLACE
% STRICTER LIMITS
ON WHAT
YOU
CAN
% DO
ON A
DEVICE
WHILE
YOU'RE
% DRIVING.%>>
ONE
TOUCH.
% THEY CAN
TOUCH
IT
ONCE.
% THAT'S IT.
% YOU CAN'T SCROLL.
% YOU
CAN'T
MULTIPLE TOUCH.
% IT HAS TO BE
IN A
HANDS-FREE
% MODE.
% >> I
THINK A
LOT
OF
PEOPLE
WOULD
% SAY WHY
DO WE NEED
IT.
% >>
STATE
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN
% SPIROS
OF
MARSHFIELD
AUTHORED
% THE
BILL.
% >>
IT
HAS
THE
POTENTIAL
TO
SAVE
% LIVES.%>> WHAT
WE'VE
SEEN
IN
OTHER
% STATES THAT
HAVE
ADOPTED A
% HANDS-FREE LAW
IS
ABOUT A
15%
TO
% 20%
DECREASE
IN
FATALITIES
AND
% SERIOUS CRASHES.
% IS THAT
PERFECT?
% NO.
% BUT
IT'S
BETTER
THAN
NOTHING.% >>
THE
BILL
WAS
INTROOSESSED
IN
INTRODUCED IN
% OFNLGT
!
OCTOBER.
% IT
HASN'T
GOTTEN
VERY
FAR.% >>
I'M
HOPEFUL
WE
GET A
HEARING
% AT
LEAST
SO WE
CAN
TALK
ABOUT
% IT.
% BUT BOTTOM
LINE
IS
EVEN
IF
IT
% DOESN'T GET
DONE THIS
TIME,
AT
% LEAST
IT'S
READY TO
GO
NEXT
% SESSION.
% WE'VE
VETTED
EVERYBODY.% >>
TOM
HELPED
GET
SIMILAR% LEGISLATION PASSED IN MIN
NESOTA.
% HE SAID
IT
WASN'T A
PRIORITY
FOR
% LAWMAKERS THERE
EITHER
UNTIL
% MORE
PEOPLE LIKE HIM
CAME
OUT
% AND HAD
THEIR
STORIES
HEARD.% >>
SO I NEED TO
DO
MORE.
% I NEED
TO KEEP PLUGGING
AWAY.
% IT'S
FRUSTRATING.
% EVERY
YEAR
WE
WAIT,
IT'S
JUST
% HUNDREDS OF MORE PEOPLE DIE.%
>>
THE
DRIVER
RESPONSIBLE
FOR
% MEGAN'S
DEATH
PLED
GUILTY
TO
% RECKLESS
DRIVING, A
GROSS
% MISDEMEANOR.%>>
MY
FAMILY'S
HAD A
LOT
OF
--
% WE'VE
HAD A
LOT
OF
DIFFICULTY% DEALING WITH
THIS
SITUATION.% >>
TOM
SAYS
HIS
MEMORY
OF
MEGAN
% KEEPS
HIM
GOING.% >> SHE
WAS A
CNA.
% SHE
WAS A
CERTIFIED
NURSING
% ASSISTANT.
% SHE LIKED
TO WORK
WITH
THE
% ELDERLY.
% A LOT
OF
PEOPLE
CAME TO
THE
% FUNERAL
THAT
WERE
FAMILY
MEMBERS% OF THE
PEOPLE
THAT
SHE
TOOK
CARE
% OF
IN
HOSPICE.
% WE HEARD
ABOUT
IT
AFTER
SHE DIED
% FROM
THE
FAMILY
MEMBERS, HOW BIG
% OF A
DIFFERENCE SHE
MADE.
% I
REMEMBER
FEELING SO
PROUD
OF
% HER AT THE TIME,
AND
I
JUST,
YOU
% KNOW,
WANTED
TO
JUST
TELL
HER
% THAT.%>>
FOR "HERE AND
NOW," I'M% MARISA
WOJCIK.% >>
SHE
KNOWS.
% SHE
KNOWS.
% >>
15
STATES
HAVE
ENACTED A
% SO-CALLED
HANDS-FREE LAW.
% OF
THOSE, 12
SAW A
DECREASE
IN