Ontario will now join Newfoundland-Labrador, Nova Scotia and Quebec in banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving - although our ban may go farther than most. The new bill will also target Hand-held electronic entertainment devices such as iPods, or other portable MP3 players, or portable games as well as Texting and emailing.

However, Hands-free wireless communications devices with an earpiece or Bluetooth device or the use of dash mounted GPS devices will be allowed (many GPS units have Bluetooth and can be used as a speaker phone with a Bluetooth enabled phone).

Under the proposed legislation, drivers who break the new rules could face fines of up to $500. And those who place others at risk as a result of using a hands-free device can be charged with Careless Driving and fines of up to $1,000, six demerit points, a driver's licence suspension and possible jail time.

So once again, the government is attempting to make our roads safer, but they are going about it the wrong way...again. If the government is going to start banning in-car distractions, where is the line going to be drawn? Technically, there are many things in our cars that can distract us - are we going to eventually have then all banned? Phones, MP3, players, GPS, eatting/drinking, car radios....kids??

I have witnessed many times a car swerving on the road only to realize that the driver was trying to attend to their child in the back seat. Are we going to ban children from our cars too? Of course not. But many beleive that banning hand-held phones will help improve road safety. They seem to be ignorant to the many studies that have shown that hands-free systems are simply no better. Talking on the phone while driving impairs your judgement, reflexes and situational awareness as much as having the maximum, legal amount of alchohol in your blood. Yes, you are actually as dangerous simply talking on the phone as you are if you have been drinking, even if you are using a hands-free phone.

Carrying on a phone is as dangeous as drinking and driving - this has been proven many times, however, texting and emailing on your phone is far worse. There are longer periods of time that your eyes and attention are off the road. But will banning the use of phones actually stop people from using them? I seriously doubt it. If drivers didn't already think it was dangerous and refrain from the practice, they won't stop now...until they are caught. Once again, a law that is reactive and not proactive.

The law is also going to be very hard to enforce. Drivers will simply try and hide their phone below the wheel while using it to avoid the watchfull eyes of law enforcement. So now a driver is looking into their lap to use thier phone, thus taking their eyes and attention away from the road even longer each time.

Ok, so using anything in your car is dangerous...that is clear but do we really need a law banning devices in our cars? As I said earlier...where does it end? Most charges that will be applied will be when a collision occurs, so why can't we use the laws that are already on the books? Laws currently exhist that cover Dangerous Driving. If a driver is not giving enough attention to their driving, they are driving dangerously and can be charge accordingly as a result of a collision.

This new law once again misses the mark on improving road safety. The only way is to improve driver skill and awareness. Removing hand-held distractions will simply not improve a drivers skill behind the wheel and will not make our roads any safer. We will still have people eatting & drinking, reading and doing their nails, hair, makeup and shaving and talking on hands-free phones.

If you want safer roads...you need safer drivers with more skill and situational awareness. Drivers who possess these skills already are the ones who don't do any of the previously mentioned activites because they know better. 

Comments:

Shaun, I completely agree. We can legislate these things out of cars — maybe even get rid of cupholders and cigarette outlets so drinks and be stowed or cell phones can't be charged — but people will still find a way.

There aren't any advanced driving courses that teach the fastest way around a corner while holding a cell phone, so why do drivers think it's acceptable? When you multitask, you just end up doing two or three things badly, instead of one thing well.

So what do we do? How do we make driving safer?

# posted by  Michael Banovsky : October 30, 2008 3:15 PM

 

Safer roads will only occur from safer making safer drivers. Our graduated licensing system is only one step. That system places restrictions on new drives so that they can gain experience over time. It makes the assumption that drivers will become safer with self acquired experience. Although that is in part true, it also allows drivers to become more complacent from their experiences.

Driver training is really the only way to make our roads safer and so far driver training is not a requirement to operate a car or motorcycle. This is where we need to start - at the beginning.

Make driver training a mandatory part of driving on our roads. Insurance companies already give discounts to drivers who take a course, so with courses being mandatory, the insurance discounts could be offered to those who take secondary, more advanced courses.

# posted by  Shaun de Jager : October 30, 2008 4:03 PM

 

Well I think it's time to change the laws. I'll see about doing an online petition and presenting it to the Minister of Transportation…

M!

# posted by  Michael Banovsky : October 31, 2008 10:07 AM

 

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