A poll by CAA finds 83% of Canadians think texting and driving is a bigger issue now, than three years ago.
This comes despite various campaigns and attempts to deter drivers from using their mobile device while behind the wheel.
ICBC Road Safety Manager Doug MacDonald thinks better technology isn’t helping.
“People are noticing the fact that they can do many things while they’re driving, let alone driving the vehicle,” he says.
“As we know, living in the north and having the weather conditions that change, we need to pay attention a lot more so we can’t be dealing with our cell phone and not paying attention to what we’re doing.”
Distracted driving is the second leading cause of car fatalities and crashes across British Columbia, according to ICBC.
MacDonald says stopping distracted driving would make for a good New Year’s resolution.
“Put the cell phone out of our distance of where we can reach it, whether we have to put it in the glove box or the trunk, turn it off, let people know that we’ll get in touch with them when we’re not so busy during the rest of the day,” explains MacDonald.
“Pull over when it’s safe to do so, if you need to be out on the roadway, pull over where it’s safe to do so and use your cellphone at that time but you don’t need to constantly be connected with your cellphone.”
According to the CAA poll, texting and driving is tied with drunk driving as the top road safety concern among Canadians.
96% of Canadians say that drivers who text and drive are a threat to their personal safety on the road https://t.co/cXbxFJXwTi #DistractedDriving #putthephonedown pic.twitter.com/NDXeGz2Fuv
— CAA (@CAA) January 2, 2018
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