How You Can Avoid Hundreds Of Dollars In Distracted Driving Charges

There is a crackdown shaping up on Ontario highways this week (March 12-20th). The object of the blitz: distracted drivers. 

According to the OPP's 2015 data, distracted driving remains a greater cause of highway fatalities than impaired driving--now for the 7th consecutive year: a quarter of highway fatalities recorded have been from distracted driving, that is, of the 51 total fatalities 12 of them were a result of distracted driving.

The OPP claims that the only way to reduce the number of people dying from distracted driving is to crack down on it as well as raise awareness of what it is and help people make a firm commitment to avoiding distracted driving behaviours. 

According to the Ministry of Transportation, those who use mobile phones are 4 times more likely to have a collision than those who don't. And when people take their eyes off the road for more than 2 seconds, the risk of collision doubles. The following, according to the Ministry of Transportation, are activities considered distracted driving:

1. Operate hand-held communication and digital entertainment devices while you're driving, which include:

• iPods/iPads
• MP3 players
• GPS devices
• Smart phones
• Cell phones
• Laptops
• DVD Players

2. View display screens unrelated to your driving.

What is considered hands-free, according to Ministry of Transportation?

"Any device that you do not touch, hold or manipulate while driving, other than to activate or deactivate it. For example, actions such as dialing or scrolling through contacts, or manually programming a GPS device are not allowed."

Note that you can still use a hand-held device to make 911 emergency calls. However, it's good to consider these safety tips for doing so:

• Pull over safely if conditions allow.
• Keep emergency calls as brief as possible.
• Alert the caller that you are on the road.
• End conversations immediately if driving conditions or situations become hazardous (inclement weather, roadway construction, high-speed or high-volume traffic).
• Be alert to situations on the road where a cell phone's radio frequency and electronics may be potentially harmful, such as construction zones where blasting is occurring, or at gas stations and fuelling areas.