#EyesFwdBC! September means that it is distracted driving campaign time. ICBC tells us that distracted driving is involved in about 38% of collisions in B.C. each year. On average, 78 people die each year in a crash where distracted driving is a contributing factor.
Sometimes our urge to use the latest technology can backfire when it is not thoroughly considered and tested. Using a touch screen instead of the usual physical controls on our vehicle's dash has turned out to be a bad idea. Regulators will require buttons to get top safety ratings starting in 2026.
Novice drivers licensed in BC are prohibited from using any type of electronic device while driving. This includes the use of GPS navigation and any type of hands free unit as well as devices that fully licensed drivers are allowed to use.
Vasu Virda is a delivery driver for Uber Eats in Vancouver. When he is sent a delivery offer by the company he must accept it by tapping the Uber Eats app on his cellphone. He did this while being observed by Officer Kim who issued a traffic ticket for using an electronic device while driving.
Kimberly Hrynyk pulled into a Starbucks in Victoria. She used her cellphone to place an order only to discover that the business was closed for the day. Ms. Hrynyk left the parking lot via Tillicum Road.
Here's a short 15 question quiz on distracted driving from Road Safety at Work. While the quiz is aimed at employers of and employees who drive as part of their job, it is equally applicable to anyone who carries an electronic device with them when they drive.
Tania Shelford is a company driver whose vehicle is equipped with a two way mobile radio that allows her to contact her dispatcher. She was using that radio to acknowledge the end of her shift when she was observed by an RCMP officer who stopped her and issued a traffic ticket for distracted driving. She disputed the ticket.
This video about distracted driving was broadcast by 60 Minutes Australia in 2013. Fast forward 8 years and look around you when you drive. Do you think that the message is getting through?
Kayvan Payman was ticketed by the Vancouver Police Department for using an electronic device while driving. His hearing was set and on that day he applied to have the matter adjourned. The court denied the adjournment so Mr. Payman pled guilty.
Sentencing was adjourned to a later date and the officer prosecuting advised the court he would be seeking a driving prohibition as part of the penalty.
The rules surrounding the use of electronic devices while driving have been refined by the BC Supreme Court yet again in the case of R v Bleau. Ryan Bleau was charged for having his smartphone sitting in his vehicle's cupholder using it to listen to a podcast while he drove to work. He was convicted of the offence in traffic court.