Distracted drivers are causing so many more accidents that police are looking for new ways to catch them, reports CBC. People tend to hold their cellphones in their laps in hopes of not being caught and having to pay fines in the hundreds of dollars.
Bus offers a better vantage point
So, officers in some cities are riding public transit buses. That makes them better able to see inside cars. If they catch someone using their phone they can radio a colleague in a police cruiser, who will then stop the driver and write out a ticket.
This is being done in some cities in the province of Ontario and other parts of the country.
More death, injury and damage
Statistics collected in Ontario show that deaths caused by distracted driving doubled since 2,000, reports CBC. And figures from 2013 show one person is injured in a distracted driving accident every 30 minutes in Ontario.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada told the public broadcaster there has been an increase in distracted driving collisions and claims across Canada.
People ‘addicted to their phones’
“They’re a result of people not paying attention,” said bureau spokesman Steve Kee told CBC. “I think it’s a culture of people being obsessed or addicted to their phones. I don’t know anything that is that important that it can’t wait.”
Each province has its own rules of the road so fines vary, and some provinces also impose demerit points on a driver’s licence which can result in increased costs for insurance, or if points accumulate, the suspension of the licence.
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