Free ride has ended
Posted Feb 5, 2010 By EMC News
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Tweet ThisEMC Editorial - Get ready to start paying.
Those drivers who continue to flout the new provincial legislation regarding the use of hand-held cell phones while behind the wheel known officially as the distracted driving law have had a three-month transition period to get used to the new rules.
That all ended on Monday, Feb. 1 when it was announced police would start to levy fines to anyone caught driving while talking with a device to their ear.
Until now the ban, first brought into play Oct. 26, 2009, had focused on educating drivers about the change. Anyone pulled over was informed about the law and warned not to engage in such activity. In all, Ontario police officers issued 3,300 warnings over that time period.
According to the legislation, it's illegal for drivers to 'talk, text, type, dial or email using hand-held cell phones and other hand-held communications/entertainment devices'. Hands-free use of these devices is permitted but the new law also prohibits the viewing of display screens that don't relate to driving such as laptop computers or DVD players.
It only makes sense.
All too often, one sees drivers not paying attention to what's happening around them on the road, simply because they're too focused on the conversation they're having on their cell phone or handheld. Provincial statistics show a person who drives while talking on a cell phone is four times more likely to be involved in a collision than a driver who's focused on the road. The specific acts of dialing and texting are the most dangerous.
So the free ride is over. Anyone now caught breaking the law will be fined $155. Fighting it in court could have that reduced to $60 or upped to as much as $500.
If you absolutely have to talk to someone and you still don't have a hands-free device, pull over to where it's safe and make/answer your call. Not only will you no longer be endangering lives, you just might be saving yourself a hefty ticket.
