Distracted Driving

This is a very interesting book about distracted driving. Interwoven with the story about Reggie Shaw and how he caused a double fatal collision by texting while driving is information on the research and researchers who are studying how our brain deals with the distraction from mobile phone use while driving. To put it bluntly, we are incapable of driving safely while using a mobile phone, hands on, hands free or texting while driving.

From YouTube: "Xavier, Chandler, Debbie, and Reggie all know the horrors of texting & driving firsthand. Acclaimed director Werner Herzog tells their stories in this powerful It Can Wait Documentary."

I was ticketed for having a dead cell phone sitting in the console of my car. As a GLP driver, the officer said that I could have have it in reach.

I was wondering if you could cover a subject that is a pet peeve of mine. I have observed some RCMP members using a cell phone while driving their patrol car. Are they exempt from this law? I thought distracted driving was distracted driving. I see this happen at least once a week.

Question: When reading one of the ICBC manuals recently (I can’t find the reference just now) it sounded like it was ok to use a cell phone to call 911 while driving. Could that be correct?

Question: Are you allowed to wear headphones, earphones or earbuds while driving a vehicle in British Columbia? Can an officer ticket you for using earbuds for hands free calling even if they are not in use? One of my earbuds doesn't work but i have to put it in my ear because the mouthpiece is attached to the one that doesn't work and the sound comes out of the other one.

I witnessed an accident the other day between a cyclist and a truck. The cyclist was riding with no hands, looking down while texting on his cell phone. He did not notice that he had come to an intersection and rode into the side of a truck. He was not wearing a helmet and received more than a few injuries requiring an ambulance to attend. Are cyclists not required to obey the sections of the motor vwhicle act in a case like this?

I have a question regarding driving violation 214.1(1) prohibiting cell phone usage while driving. I recently was pulled over by an RCMP officer and when I asked what was wrong he said that I had been using my cell phone while driving. I tried to respectively deny this as I had not been using my phone.

I was caught using a cell phone while driving and handed a ticket. Being a tourist from California I didn't know about the new no cell phone law. But the officer's reasoning was that it is also unlawful to use a cell phone in California and decided to write me a ticket.

My questions are: