The Student Life Education Company

Phones, drivers, bad mix

CBC News

Jun 02, 2008 04:30 AM

Safety experts say that people who use cellphones while driving are slow to react to the dangers around them. Durham MPP John O'Toole could make the same claim about Premier Dalton McGuinty – that he has been too slow to respond to the issue.

Over the years, O'Toole, a Progressive Conservative, has introduced six private member's bills calling for a ban on the use of hand-held cellphones by drivers in Ontario. O'Toole often received favourable responses from other MPPs and from the media. But private member's bills usually need government help to pass, and McGuinty would not lend his support.

A recent spate of fatal accidents in which cellphones are suspected of playing a role has finally persuaded McGuinty that the dangers are real, however. It shouldn't have taken him this long.

Studies cited by the Insurance Bureau of Canada show that distracted drivers are dangerous drivers. One U.S. study estimated that driver distraction is a factor in 80 per cent of car crashes in North America. Another said that drivers talking on cellphones are often just as impaired as drunk drivers. And a third found that experienced drivers are no better at handling the distraction of a cellphone than novices.

That's why more than 50 countries and three Canadian provinces have already moved to restrict cellphone use by drivers.

Perhaps to compensate for his dithering on the issue, McGuinty is talking about going further than a ban on just cellphones to other potential distractions to drivers, such as BlackBerrys and GPS devices. McGuinty has asked Transportation Minister Jim Bradley to look at "next generation" legislation that would automatically restrict the use of all devices (as well as those that haven't been invented yet) that preoccupy drivers who should be concentrating on the road.

Fine, but a study of all possible future distractions should not become an excuse for further delay of a ban on cellphone use by drivers.

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While it is unfortunate that it has taken Ontario leaders so long to recognize the dangers of distracted driving, it is good to see that legislative actions are finally being taken to reduce the frequency of crashes involving distracted driving. To be sure, there is a degree of convenience in being able to speak on one’s cell phone or use other such tools while driving. However, convenience must be balanced against the potential risks to the public. In this case, it is clear that the harms resulting from the use of cell phones and other electronic devices on the road outweigh the benefits of being able to communicate while in transit.

The statistics cited in this article are troubling, but sadly no surprise. Distracted driving has recently received a spurt of media coverage for its role in local crashes. Given distracted driving’s position in the limelight, now is the time to act in promoting legislation that bans the use of distracting tools while driving. This can be the first step in eliminating instances of dangerous and/or distracted driving.

It is our hope at the Student Life Education Company that Ontario will follow Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Quebec in legislating against the use of cell phones in cars. Such actions are sure to reduce incidents of tragic road crashes. You can help support this initiative by writing to Premier Dalton McGuinty in support of the legislation. You can do this by sending in feedback on his website by following this link: https://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/feedback.asp, or by regular mail at:

Dalton McGuinty, Premier
Legislative Building
Queen's Park
Toronto ON M7A 1A1

Nicola