That would mean playing with your laptop and driving head-on into an unsuspecting motorist coming the other way, should be frowned upon. No, outlawed.

But they can remain distracted because they are superheros and what applies to us plebs is beneath such a skilled group of multi-taskers.

“Let us add a zero to the end of that fine to start, maybe then people might listen…
and six points…dangerous driving…which it is…”

Or maybe confiscate the car for a month on 1st offense, 6 months for the second, a year . . . .

Sadly, we already have far too many people driving while under suspension for DUI, etc.

They have to hammer down on these morons. Literally! You get pulled over talking on your phone you get your fine and then you phone is smashed with a hammer!

The fine should be the same as impaired driving! Make it a criminal offense.

Is there a law that stats please don’t brush your teeth while driving, I have seen this twice now.

Aside from brushing their teeth, they also talk to their dogs sitting in their lap, drink coffee, smoke, dial the radio, and generally have a good time.

The problem is much bigger than talking on the phone. There is a study that shows that talking on a blue tooth etc; is just as distracting as a hand held device, however the Government saw fit to allow this type of phoning. Soooo, just how serious are they about distracted driving.

In addition the Government (Police) could charge people with driving without due care and attention, dangerous driving, etc; which carries a much stiffer penalty than talking on the phone. Why do they not enforce these laws, rather than a fine of $167.00.

Could it have something to do with generating revenue, while avoiding court and jail time???

We have sufficient laws to stop this type of activity. What we lack is a will to do so by the Province, and Police.

There is no law in BC against other forms of distracted driving. I am assuming they will have a guy peeking in to cars and trucks from on top of a hill with binoculars radioing ahead to officers waiting to jump out from the bushes. Otherwise pretty tough to catch them unless you are in a unmarked cruiser, the cell hits the floor quick when the fuzz is driving by

I am curious how “speeding” gets to be the leading cause of accidents. Sure it makes them worse when they do happen, and sure the odd guy flies off the road (a la Ospika this weekend), but is speeding the actual root CAUSE of more accidents than anything else?

Should be easy to cross reference if speeding is the leading cause of accidents police has records… i doubt very much it is. Any accident that happens and a cell phone is evolved the fault should go the person on the cell phone.

interceptor: “I am curious how “speeding” gets to be the leading cause of accidents. Sure it makes them worse when they do happen, and sure the odd guy flies off the road (a la Ospika this weekend), but is speeding the actual root CAUSE of more accidents than anything else?”

The leading cause of accidents is driver error.

There is a distracted driving law on the books, and people have been charged.

The Ultimate Addiction, you must answer your Phone any Time and anywhere:
Sitting in my parked Car , a Women pulls up beside me to park, in the middle of backing up she whips out her Phone and starts talking, her Car is halve in the spot behind me , the other halve sticks out into the Street and she keeps on talking. Only Outwest

What about car systems and navigation systems being controlled from touch screens that take more attention than a simple nob or dial.

Palopu, very well said!!

The motor vehicle act is a very large book with all kinds of regulations and laws. The RCMP and ICBC spend a lot of time enforcing what they deem to be politically incorrect infractions of the Act. These include speeding, seatbelt and cellphone infractions.

I have never heard of anyone receiving a ticket for driving with a dog on their lap, or loose dogs running around in the cab, yet I see people doing this every day without fail. It seems like the average driver doesn’t have a clue what a signal light is, nor do they appear to know how ot use them. They also seem to have no idea what lane to drive in, nor which lane they should turn from or turn into. Nobody seems to stop at stop signs! It says STOP people, not Yield!

The list of infractions is huge and yet there is very little focus on making drivers better drivers. Instead, it’s just a revenue stream for government, funded by only the politically incorrect infractions.

I am not advocating for speeding, failing to wear a seatbelt or for cell phone use, but there needs to be a massive shift in the attitude of drivers regarding all aspects of the Motor Vehicle Act. The RCMP need to start enforcing all of the Motor Vehicle Act, not just what ICBC tells them to enforce. Drivers need to have more respect for their “right” to be on the road. I’m getting really tired of having to share the road with idiots who think it’s ok to use their cell phone while driving, and also idiots that think that driving around with their dog on their lap is a safe activity. How on earth can you safely operate your vehicle when you are talking on your phone while sipping a coffee, lighting up a smoke, all the while trying to balancing Fido on your lap??

Now that you know how I really feel, haha!

No wonder self-driving vehicles are well past the trial stage. Several major manufacturers have been putting them on the road with great success. Google has one on the road. They are 100% safe on highways, especially 4 or more lane highways and under good weather conditions. We won’t see them here because of our winters and we don’t have any real 4-lane highways.

Hart Guy you get it.

It’s well past the time that the MVA is enforced in it’s entirety. Instead they pick and choose what they want to enforce, it’s a joke.

Every single day I see unsecured loads, people stopping in merge lanes,poorly maintained vehicles going down the road sideways and plenty more. But the RCMP choose to enforce the 4 sins. Seat belts, cell phones, speeding and DUI.

Very, very sad state of affairs.

There are simply not enough cops on the road to stop everyone that could potentially be stopped for various infractions.

If there were, there would be someone pulled over on every block.

Crossed the new Port Mann toll bridge yesterday that has a camera system that can capture the license plate of every vehicle, and a computer system that can mail you an invoice if you don’t voluntarily pay on-line. So, maybe it’s time for a discussion on the use of technology to monitor and ticket poor traffic behavior. Put speed cameras in every school zone and no one will dare speed. Require front license plates again, and then put cameras in intersections, and a police officer can scan for drivers on cell phones, and issue the ticket from his computer. Forget about trying to figure out who the driver is, just keep ticketing the vehicle. The utilization of technology is almost unbounded, it’s just do we have a big enough problem out there, to justify that large an invasion of privacy and control. But there’s no way we can hire enough police officers to deal with this, especially with people who insist on court hearings, even when they know they’re guilty.

We don’t need to be watched day in and day out by camera’s, nor do we need to have people taking pictures of drivers breaking the law, and forwarding this info to the Police.

For those who don’t know, or have forgotten that is the type of policing that takes place in Communist Countries, and is in fact an invasion of your rights.

What we do need is a police force willing and able to charge people with a crime when they break the law, and then give them their day in court to defend themselves. (Innocent until proven guilty). That’s the correct way to deal with the problem, and how we would deal with it, if the Government had not put us so far in the hole, that they are using any means possible to generate revenue.

We have a perfectly good legal, and policing system, however it has been bastardized to save costs, and generate revenue.

THE PROBLEM WITH DRIVING IN BC, IS A RESULT OF THE ABDICATION OF RESPONSIBILITY BY THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT.

Enforce the laws on the books, pay the court costs, and get on with being a grown up Province.

ICBC should get involved. You get a texting while driving ticket which comes with a fine and points and you lose your safe driving discount!
New drivers that get caught on their devices lose their right to drive period!

Call it a cash grab all you like, soon MADD will mean mothers against digital devices. You kill my kid because if your stupid phone, you won’t need a lawyer!