Distracted driving is responsible for 80 deaths in BC every year.
A 16-year-old Maple Ridge girl was killed by a train while texting and wearing headphones listening to music in 2014. A young woman from Victoriaville, Quebec was killed when her car slammed into a truck while texting her boyfriend. Could stiffer distracted driving penalties prevent deaths like these? The BC Government thinks so.
Currently, BC has the second lowest distracted driving fine in the country at $167. Getting caught texting and driving in Prince Edward Island will set you back $1,200.
“We are having a look at it in government and there may be some changes in the penalties, because we need people to get off their devices. When you are driving, you have to concentrate on the task at hand and that is driving,” said Justice Minister Suzanne Anton.
Raising fines isn’t the only thing we can do to prevent distracted driving. Here’s some tips to avoid distracted driving and possibly save your life.
- Allow plenty of travel time
- Review all maps before driving
- Put your phone on silent while driving
- Do not text, surf the web or read emails on the road
- Stop at safe locations if you need to make a phone call or text
For more information
- Government Hints at Stiffer Penalties for Distracted Driving, Global News
- Distracted Driving, The Vancouver Police Department
- Distracted Driving: Killer of a Problem, Huffington Post
- Tips to Avoid Distracted Driving, CAA
