DISTRACTED TRACTOR TRAILER DRIVER

(ODESSA, ON)- On November 28th, 2013 just before 8:00pm, an officer patrolling Hwy 401 in the Loyalist Township area noticed a transport driver travelling west bound watching television.

Traffic conditions at the time consisted of a high volume of tractor trailers.

After stopping the transport the officer noted the driver had mounted a DVD player with a 7” screen on his dashboard, beside his GPS. The driver was hauling a fully loaded 52 ft. trailer loaded with heavy rubber. The load was destined for the Toronto area from Laval PQ.

The driver also had an Ipad stand affixed to the floor, with an extendable arm located beside his right knee, positioned directly towards him.

The driver was charged under section 72(2) Highway Traffic Act, television operating ~ visible to driver.

The truth is that the vast majority of drivers over-estimate their skills behind the wheel and under-estimate the risk associated with distracted driving. They believe that because they’ve done it numerous times before and nothing bad has happened that nothing bad will happen. “That simply is not the case” says Deputy Commissioner Larry Beechey, Provincial Commander of the Traffic Safety and Operational Support. Of the 67 persons killed in fatal vehicle collisions that occurred in OPP jurisdiction this year, 19 were victims of an inattentive driver. “These families have had their lives changed forever and for what”?

Please don’t drive while distracted. It is up to all of us to work together to ensure our highways are safe.

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