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Hawaii Tribune-Herald Hilo, Hawaii Page 1 of 2 ' rTGtGVC{GG `~.w Y ~ ~eA s1. ~~~+ry~ ~ ~ Print Page Potty mouth . Motion detectors in urinals send ' ~,,f~~ message to not drink and drive by Terrie Henderson I' ~ ~y/, r'~ Tribune-Herald Staff Writer ~~/11Yx~~~f(dj 1t~!p"~/ ~m ""~r` r `~~Ln r~7~3~u'%- ~ You and the guys have been drinking at ~ ~?~°:~~f~~~~'~~~' Y" I' , n ~ ,u, your favorite watering hole when the R^f ~ e~r1;'ilii~~, I~j)~ e y ~ilCt ~,,4 inevitable happens. ~ ~t~ ya, j ~tls~~ 't I ~l x i„ Nature calls. You excuse yourself and walk to (weave toward?) the men'S rOOm. Jackie Murai, Traffic Safety Coordinator For The Hawaii County Police Department, Holds A Motion Sensor That Will As you assume the position before a urinal, Be Placed In Urinals In Men's Bathrooms At Various Bars a sultr woman's voice emer es from Throughout The County. Police Hope The Talking Sensors, Y g Which Advise People Against Drinking And Driving, Will where you'd least expect lt, warning you Spur Conversation Amongst Bar Patrons. -Terrie not to drink and drive. Henderson/Tribune-Herald No, you're not that drunk. Well, maybe you are, but you're not hearing things. The voice is coming from a motion sensor with a message, strategically located in the urinal courtesy of the Hawaii County Police Department. Why you? Why the urinal? Jackie Murai, traffic safety coordinator for the Hawaii County Police Department, said that about 80 percent of the people arrested for DUI from November 2005 to September 2006 were male. Which means the porcelain public relations device is aimed squarely at the department's target audience The round device resembles a urinal cake holder, with large bold written message, "Drunk Driving. Over The Limit. Under Arrest. Cops are cracking down!" It's set off by motion. The voice tells the bathroom patron to think about their future, and call a cab or a sober friend if they've been drinking. "You just want something to scream out to get people's attention," Murai said with a laugh. "We want to get people's attention. We figure there is a captive audience." Turning serious, Murai said the number of drunken driving fatalities in Hawaii is rising. About 52 percent of the state's traffic fatalities are alcohol related. The sensors were purchased by the state DepartmF,~t of Transportation and were all the rage at a highway safety conference earlier this year in Chicago, Murai said. "Other states have it," Murai said. "This is a way of getting the message out for people. It is just a ~?w reminder." East Hawaii establishments that will be given the n otion sensors include Cronies Bar and Grill, Detour http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/articles/2007/09/O1/local news/loca102.prt 9/4/2007