Traffic

The whole texting while driving issue has come to the forefront once again with the recent picture of a TTC driver texting while driving a bus.

As I’m sure you know, the Distracted Driving Law makes it illegal for drivers to talk, text, type, dial or email using hand-held cell phones and other hand-held devices.
In October 2009 this became law in the Province of Ontario, with drivers being given a grace period of several months before fines were actually given out starting February 1. So it’s now been about a year that the law actually has had some bite.

So what’s been happening? I see people behind the wheel talking on their cell phones and texting on a regular basis. In just one day last November, two police divisions here in Toronto targeted distracted drivers and ended up handing out 70 tickets.

In York Region police have handed out just under 3,000 tickets to distracted drivers over the past year and have also given out over 700 warnings. Fines start at $125, by the way.

So what is going on? Did it take this long for seatbelt legislation to work its way into the psyche of the driver? Maybe it did.

I have a theory about the use of hand-held devices, especially texting while driving.  Academically it seems like an insane thing to do. In just five seconds of texting you can cover more than the length of a football field driving at normal highway speeds.  The length of a football field. Do you know how much ground that is? Suffice to say it’s a lot.

But I am not here to preach. I am here to say that I almost broke my own rule and the law the other day and just stopped short of texting while behind the wheel. How did this happen? I have a new phone and have not set up my hands-free earpiece yet to accommodate it. I was waiting for some important information which I received while sitting at an intersection. I was just about to text a reply when I stopped short. I actually said “What am I doing?” I immediately tossed my phone into the side pocket of my car door. I couldn’t believe that I had almost done something I feel to be an extremely dangerous activity.

It made me think about what brings people to text and drive and I really don’t think it’s always a conscious thing. The portable phone is such an integral part of our lives and now with Blackberries and iPhones, we are constantly referring to them as a source of contact and information. We are in the habit of checking them every where. Nothing is sacred anymore, not even the washroom. So it isn’t a big stretch to see how we can unconsciously pick up our phones while in the car. I am certainly not condoning it! It’s just that I can see how easily it can happen and how we really have to take drastic measures and put that phone out of sight and out of earshot when we are driving.  We have to make that extra effort for our safety and the safety of others.