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 IN
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, WHETHER
IT BEING EVIDENCE OF A SPEEDING
VIOLATION OR FOLLOWING TOO
CLOSE.
>> THE MESSAGE FROM THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND
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 AND TALK TO STOP AND TALKED TO THEM ABOUT
IT.
I SAW YOU WERE DOING SOMETHING
ELSE WHILE YOU WERE DRIVING.
IT'S NOT ILLEGAL TO TALK ON YOUR
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
OFNLGTOCTOBER.
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 MINNESOTA.
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