Ontario’s law, which was to come into force Oct. 26, makes it illegal to use a cellphone while driving. This includes talking, e-mailing and texting.
However, Bluetooth or similar hands-free phone equipment for the car is allowed.
Offenders face fines from $60 to $500.
Emergency workers, such as police and fire and ambulance, are not affected by this law, and you can still use a phone to call 911 in an emergency. Data systems, such as the dispatch units in cabs and the ordinary GPS systems in private vehicles, are still allowed.
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The Saskatchewan government announced earlier this fall that this type of legislation would be introduced this year. Texting, e-mailing and hands-on phoning will be banned, but hands-free calling would be permitted.
Does the hands-free distinction make any sense? It would appear to limit most use to phone conversations and eliminate texting, and it would appear that a driver’s attention is not as diverted from the road as with hands-on use.
However, some experts disagree, saying any diversion from full attention on driving is dangerous and should be banned.
E. Vangelis of the University of Western Ontario and the Canadian Association of Road Safety Research said hands-free phones are just as dangerous as other phones. She points to research indicating that divided attention is the key, not whether hands are on the wheel or a phone. Attention is being turned to a discussion rather than to what is happening on the road.
However, she acknowledged that texting is theworst of all because a driver’s full attention is drawn away from the vehicle and the road. She said it is a “no brainer” that texting should be banned in all cases. Her opinion, while not universally accepted, has been confirmed in a number of academic studies, including one published this fall by researchers at Dalhousie University.
Most of Europe has some sort of ban already in place. In North America, Canada is acting in this area. In the United States, only seven jurisdictions have passed cellphone bans as of this month: California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington and the District of Columbia. However, 18 states have banned texting while driving.
Some cities have passed their own bylaws in this regard. If you’re planning a holiday in Hawaii, don’t use your phone while driving in Oahu.
Other jurisdictions place the restrictions on new or young drivers but not experienced drivers, which appears to make little sense. Stupidity knows no age boundaries.
However, texting is much more prevalent among younger drivers. According to a 2007 Boston study, more than 50 percent of young drivers admit to texting while driving. That’s an amazing and frightening statistic.
While these laws are not going to match up in every corner of the country, there can be little doubt that your legal ability to use a cellular communication device while driving is going to change in the near future, if it hasn’t already done so.
Be sure to keep up with changes in your home province because you may be silenced by the fines such use will attract.
