With the start of the new school year, ICBC, police and government are making sure that distracted driving is still their top priority to making roads safer.
On average, 27 people are killed in distracted driving-related crashes in the Lower Mainland every year with the highest record of crashes in 2017.
Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds is strongly correlated with crashing and this is more than just cellphone usage while driving.
Other contributing factors include driver inattentiveness and internal or external distractions.
Enhanced police enforcement of distracted driving will take place across B.C. to spread one main message this month – take a break from your phone when you’re behind the wheel.
“Distracted driving is the number one cause of serious crashes in our province and it continue to be a growing safety concern. To combat this problem, police will be out on the road – in every community – making sure people leave their phones alone while driving,” said Chief Constable Neil Dubord, chair of the BC Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Committee, in a media release
Community volunteers will also be setting up Cell Watch locations to remind drivers to leave their phone alone when driving.
Drivers are advised to do their part by avoiding distractions while driving and encourage others to do the same in ways like turning your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode while driving.
ICBC is inviting eligible drivers to participate in a telematics pilot project as part of the initiative to make roads safer. The goal is to determine whether using this particular technology can improve road safety and driving behaviour for inexperienced drivers in B.C.
