Driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone is now illegal and is also very dangerous. Seems like a simple concept for people to grasp, but it appears that too many are still not getting the message.
For a little over a year now, police in B.C. have been enforcing the new distracted driving law -and they now have a year's worth of, in some cases, telling statistics that show how big the problem really is. That's why police have chosen the month of February to launch an awareness campaign against distracted driving.
According to RCMP Lower Mainland District Traffic Services, in 2010, distracted driving was a contributing factor in 32 per cent of all collision fatalities in RCMP jurisdictions. During that same time, police across the province issued 32,000 distracted driving tickets.
Within RCMP-policed areas in the Lower Mainland, the statistics are even more telling, with distracted driving contributing to 48 per cent of all fatal accidents last year. When you look at these statistics, it's pretty clear that many drivers are simply not getting the message.
A recent distracted driving survey conducted by the British Columbia Automobile Association revealed that the majority of those surveyed do feel that B.C. roads are safer as a result of the new distracted driving law - which is some good news, but many of those surveyed also admit to texting or talking on a hand-held cell phone on occasion.
Whether it's texting while driving, fiddling with your radio knob, enjoying a fast food snack, checking your make-up (or shaving!) in the rearview - they are all forms of distraction, distraction that could be the cause of an accident.
So when you're out driving this month, be certain that extra eyes will be watching you to see if you have your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel while driving.
Navigating through our streets is hard enough these days with an increase in traffic, pedestrians and cyclists, so why take unnecessary chances talking or texting or reading a book when you should be concentrating on the road? We applaud the police for this new law and the enforcement campaign to come this month.
No conversation or the need for a good read is worth getting into an accident, or even worse, losing your life or killing someone else.
Pay attention and follow the rules. It's seems pretty simple to us.
