Anything that takes your focus off driving is a distraction. From changing the radio station to answering your phone to reaching for your morning coffee, it can all cause a crash.
In some parts of Canada, distracted driving causes more fatalities than impaired driving. This is why the use of hand-held electronic devices has been prohibited in most, if not all, provinces. Even though Canadians are aware of the dangers of driving while distracted, many still do it anyways. Nearly 50% of drivers admit to using their phones or programming their GPS while on the road, something that leads to 1.6 million crashes each year.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Admission, taking your eyes off the road for just five seconds is “like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.” And keep in mind there other people on the road with you while you are doing this. In Ontario alone, deaths due to distracted driving have doubled in the past twenty years.
Using your phone or other electronic devices while driving makes you twenty times more likely to cause a collision, so it is best to program any necessary devices before pulling out of your driveway. Penalties for driving while distracted can include fines ranging from $600 to $3000, acquiring 3 to 6 demerit points, up to 2 years of licence suspension, and even jail time.
If you are among the 80% of Canadians who multitask while behind the wheel, Cobourg Police encourages you to instead pay attention to your driving at all times —including when you are stopped in traffic or at a red light. To do otherwise is to risk your life, your passengers’ lives, as well as fellow road users.