Distracted Driving Campaign Designed to Enforce and Educate Drivers
Distracted driving has claimed the lives of 69 people in 2015 according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and according to the law enforcement agency, continues to be the leading cause of fatal road deaths in Ontario.
In 2015, there were sixty-one fatalities as a result of speed and fifty-one fatalities in seat belt-related crashes. Forty-five people died as a result of drug and alcohol use while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.
According to the OPP, 2015 marks the third year distracted driving has been the leading cause of fatal deaths on the roads. The OPP kicked off their annual March Break Distracted Driving campaign this week which will run until March 20, 2015. Officers will be out in full force patrolling for drivers who continue to engage in distracted driving behaviour while operating a vehicle.
Distracted Driving Behaviour Charges Double
Texting, reading email, updating a social status and other activities while behind the wheel means that you are not paying attention to the road. Driving involves complete attention by a driver as motorists share the roads with other vehicles, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and cyclists.
The OPP also revealed that distracted driving charges were double in comparison to impaired driving charges during the period from 2013 to 2015. The distracted driving crackdown during the March Break period will focus on enforcing Ontario’s legislation when it comes to distracted driving and educate drivers on the perils associated with their distracted behaviours.
Young Drivers of Canada continues to education their students practical methods to avoid driving distracted. According to Canada’s national driving school, the answer is simple, just don’t do it. If a driver is not able to exercise self-control when it comes to interaction with their electronic device, simply remove the device from the vehicle. Turning off a cell phone or locking it in the truck while driving are two simple solutions that can easily be implemented by any driver. Remember the good old days before technology?