Distracted driving has surpassed drunk driving as the number one cause of traffic fatalities. The notion of multi-tasking while driving, as in texting or consulting social media, is no longer an option in most places in Canada.
Canadians revealed that distracted driving is now their number one safety concern
In a recent poll by CAA, Canadians revealed that distracted driving is now their number one safety concern.
In Vancouver, British Columbia, the introduction of hefty new penalties appears to be working to reduce the instances of distraction behind the wheel.
This past June, Vancouver police issued 490 tickets for the offense, compared to 568 over the same month last year.
“It’s a decrease, but not as much as we’d like to see,” Constable Brian Montague told CBC news. “Time will tell whether these fines have a good impact.”
At the beginning of June, new legislation went into effect under which a first time offender receives $543 (Cdn) in fines, $368 for the ticket and $175 for four penalty points.
Prior to June, the offense was known as “driving while using an electronic device” and the fine was $167 for a first time offender.
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