We All See It, It Seems To Be Rampant

(PERTH COUNTY, ON) You’re driving along, and the vehicle you are following is swerving from side to side in its lane. As you pull up beside this vehicle at the next stop light you discover that the driver is busy texting.

We can all give examples of the bizarre things we have seen drivers do when they are operating their vehicles. When we ask these drivers about their activities they will all admit that distracted driving is dangerous. What will it take to get all of us to understand that driving while distracted is bad judgement and an unacceptable threat to public safety. When you are driving focus on the roadway, not your electronic devices.

Distracted Driving is a legitimate threat to roadway safety and has been added to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Highway safety enforcement priorities. These include; aggressive driving, impaired driving, speeding and seatbelt use. To date in 2012, West Region OPP has attended 22 fatal crashes with 35 people killed. It is not a matter of “if” a distracted driver will cause a collision; it is a matter of “when”.

The Perth County OPP is reminding motorists that a distracted driver can be stopped and charged a fine of $155, but the cost can be far greater when you consider the risk.

The “Countering Distracted Driving and Promoting Green Transportation Act” prohibits the use of devices a driver may use while their vehicle is in motion, with the following exceptions:

GPS navigation device
Hand held communication device WITH hands free system only
Vehicle gauges/Vehicle information systems
Collision avoidance systems
Transportation tracking systems

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