A Buck to Hang Up: Arlington Man Campaigns to Get Drivers Off Their Cell Phones

Jeff Larson, the president of Safe Roads Alliance, has been offering drivers cash to hang up their cell phones in Dorchester at the Columbia Road exit from I-93. The earnest endeavor cost Larson just $100, with most drivers shaking their heads, driving off, or even giving him the finger instead of taking his money. The Safe Roads Alliance has some pretty intense videos of folks causing crashes while on their phones, including this one from Texas that shows a texting bus driver with two disabled riders get into a crash, then mentions a Houston man whose five children drowned after he swerved his car into a ravine.Car and Driver magazine has an interesting comparison of drunk driving and texting. We're a little amazed that folks feel so entitled to talk and drive, though we do wonder if someone holding a sign by the side of the road isn't a distraction in itself.