Motorists And Cellular Phones

NEW - Ontario’s Bill 118, The Countering Distracted Driving and Promoting Green Transportation Act, 2009

Ontario’s new law prohibiting the use of hand-held cell phones and other hand-held communications and entertainment devices while driving will come into effect on October 26, 2009. Once the new law is in place, drivers who text, type, email, dial or chat using any hand-held device will face fines of up to $500 upon conviction. Hands-free use will still be permitted.

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Smart Drivers Just Drive!

When driving a vehicle, road safety is your first responsibility! It is important to focus on driving and to reduce driver distractions.

Driver distraction is a major cause of collisions

Using either a hand-held or hands-free cell phone while driving makes it four times more likely that you will be involved in a collision. In fact, using a cell phone affects what a driver sees, reduces reaction time and changes the way drivers react — especially in heavy traffic. Driving for work and using a phone? Motor vehicle collisions are the greatest single cause of traumatic workplace deaths in Ontario.

Drivers should avoid using their cell phone while driving except in an emergency. Police can charge drivers with careless driving if they do not pay full attention to the driving task. A driver convicted of careless driving will receive six demerit points, fines of up to $1,000 and/or a jail term of six months. In some cases, the driver's licence may be suspended for up to two years. This is one of Ontario's toughest rules of the road.

Remember, smart drivers just drive! In three seconds driving sixty kilometres per hour you travel fifty metres — that's the distance across half a football field. A momentary distraction can result in death or serious injury.

The following are some tips to help reduce driver distraction:

Plan for safe locations to stop (for example, rest stops or commuter lots) to make and receive calls
Before you start driving turn off your cellular phone.
Allow calls to go to voice mail or allow a passenger to make and receive calls.
Consider recording an outgoing voice message that lets callers know you are on the road.

In Emergencies:

Having a cellular phone in your vehicle can be an important safety aid for drivers and passengers — whether for personal safety or for reporting a crime or a collision. If you must use your cell phone in an emergency — a situation that could result in a danger to your safety or the safety of others if it is not corrected without delay — consider the following tips:

Pull over safely if conditions allow.
Keep emergency calls as brief as possible.
Alert the caller that you are on the road.
End conversations immediately if driving conditions or situations become hazardous (for example, inclement weather, roadway construction, high-speed or high-volume traffic).

Other considerations:

Be alert to situations on the road where a cell phone's radio frequency and electronics may be potentially harmful such as: construction zones where blasting is occurring, or at gas stations/fuelling areas.