Coin Drops at South Jersey Intersections Worry Me

Coin drops at intersections here in South Jersey worry me...

We've all seem them: local organizations set-up in the middle of busy intersections here in South Jersey asking for donations from passing motorists. And, to be honest, every time I see one, it worries me.

Before I go any further, let me say that I honestly and wholeheartedly support all of the groups and organizations that you typically see doing coin drops at intersections. Most of the time, they are our local EMT and fire departments or organizations that support our local police departments in some way. And again, I totally support what those people do for us.

But is there a better -- and safer -- way to raise money? The safety of coin drops is what bothers me.

Coin drops on sunny weekends at busy intersections are probably big money makers for groups who rely on donations from the public. If they weren't, there wouldn't be so many. But we all know everyone has a cell phone and no matter how much we push for people to put their phones down when they are behind the wheel, distracted driving is still a big problem. My biggest fear is one day someone who isn't paying attention is going to either plow into a long line of traffic at a coin drop or, even worse, possibly injure someone who is collecting money while walking on the double yellow line at a red light. Are we asking for trouble?

What do you think? Is there a safer way for groups to raise money instead of standing in the middle of traffic at red lights? Let me know what you think in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

Author's Note: For those who will only read the headline and not the story: If you are ready to send me an e-mail saying that it's absurd that I don't support groups that do this, you missed my point. I'm concerned about their safety doing this. I know they need to raise money somehow, but is this the best way to do it?