Even in the face of stiffer penalties, many drivers continue to talk, text and email while behind the wheel.
ICBC, in partnership with police across the province, this week launched a campaign aimed at encouraging residents to avoid using electronic devices while driving.
The campaign includes increased police enforcement, as well as a new ICBC advertising campaign encouraging drivers to “take a break from their phone.”
“The law is clear — you must leave your phone alone when operating a vehicle,” said RCMP Supt. Davis Wendell, who is also vice-chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police traffic safety committee. “Police will be out in force this month reminding you to put your phone away when you’re behind the wheel. No text or call is worth the risk.”
Since Sept. 1, Vancouver police have issued 75 tickets for distracted driving, said department spokesman Sgt. Jason Robillard.
“This is a campaign and we’re specifically gearing towards writing two specific tickets for distracted driving,” he said. “One is for texting or emailing while driving and the other one is using an electronic device while driving — $368 each and four points. Those four points will translate into approximately $500 when you renew your insurance. It’s a lot of money but we want to save lives.”
Distracted driving continues to claim more lives on the road than impaired driving, and is also one of the leading factors in crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, said Lindsay Matthews, ICBC’s director responsible for road safety.
“It’s time we all commit to taking a break from our phones and stop driving distracted,” she said.
On average, 78 people are killed every year in B.C. because of distracted and inattentive drivers. Impaired driving kills an average of 66 people annually in the province.
In a recent Ipsos Reid study conducted for ICBC, nearly all respondents agree that it is risky to use a hand-held phone while driving. However, 38 per cent of drivers said that they use their phone during at least 10 per cent of the trips they take.
The province’s law prohibiting the use of electronic devices while driving came into force in 2010, with fines increasing to the current level as of June 2016.
And all the fines, police enforcement and public education around the dangers of distracted driving seem to have had little effect on the motoring public’s behaviour, at least in Vancouver.
Since the law came into effect in 2010, Vancouver police officers have issued 61,022 tickets for distracted driving. The number of tickets being issued saw a steady increase year-over-year until 2016, which saw a slight decrease. In 2015, the department issued 9,373 tickets. That number decreased to 8,232 last year. Additionally, officers have issued 4,000 tickets related to using an electronic device to drivers under the graduated licensing program — drivers with an “N” or “L” licence are prohibited from using any electronics, including hands-free and GPS/navigation devices.
“I’m hopeful the drop is related to driver’s getting the message, but unfortunately it’s more likely due to do with the amount of resources we were able to put into enforcement,” said media relations officer Const. Jason Doucette. He added the numbers do not include drivers who were just issued a warning.
“Police will continue to target anyone who puts the safety of other road users at risk by using their phones or texting behind the wheel,” Doucette said.
So far this year, officers have issued 5,343 tickets for texting or emailing and using an electronic device while driving.
“We see it every day in our personal vehicles,” Robillard said. “A lot of times when you’re in a marked police car, people slow down and put their phones down. As soon as that marked police car is gone they start doing it again, so it’s a behavioural thing… I see it more when I’m off duty rather than when I’m on duty. I still see it every day on my way to and from work, it’s happening. We need to stop it because people are dying from it.”
