Distracted Driving – More than Being on Your Phone
Prince George, B.C. – ICBC has presented the City of Prince George with a plaque recognizing the City’s role in trying to reduce distracted driving in the North.The City has added special decals to more than a 100 vehicles to remind staff not to use electronic devices while driving. “It’s an opportunity for people to start a conversation when they ask what the decals are all about” says ICBC’s Doug MacDonald.
In his presentation to Prince George City Council,MacDonald detailed a variety of distractions which have played a role in collisions in this Province:
When a driver is distracted, their reaction time is slower. Most rear-end collisions resulting in injury, are caused by distracted drivers.
Some quick facts:
- You are 5 times more likely to crash your vehicle if you are on your phone
- On average 81 people die every year in B.C. in crashes where distracted driving is a contributing factor
- Distracted driving is responsible for about 27% of all fatal car crashes in B.C.
A recent survey indicated 90% of B.C. drivers rate texting while driving as being more risky than drinking and driving.
Despite the amount of education and the increases in fines, MacDonald says distracted driving is still on the rise.
Comments
All the advertising in the world does not seem to stop the idiots out there from texting! I say have another blitz but don’t say anything about it publicly, fine and fine them hard! I am a Motorcyclist so I notice that texting hasn’t seemed to be slowing down. Time for new tactics! Glad the city took this step! It’s a start!!
As a motorcyclist I concur with Lien. A tour around town will see several drivers on cell phones, either talking or texting, texting usually occurs at intersections waiting for a light to change.
I run with a Go Pro and as I pass by on a boulevard the licence plate and driver activity is captured.
I do this, in the event of an accident, I will have the proof to sue the living crap out of the offender. Just like in Russia.
Do what they did in the lower mainland, have officers look like construction workers around construction sites. They nailed people for distracted driving as well as speeding in construction zones. We need more of this!
They do this already. Waiting to turn west on hwy. 16 and 97 there was an under cover cop dressed as a utility worker checking cars out as they turned and headed towards Costco.
what about people and their stupid animals running back and fourth on the front seats? Worse than cell phones.
Now you have new cars that have 4 cameras for left right etc. so you are watching the screen , is that nor a distraction ?
“The City has added special decals to more than a 100 vehicles to remind staff not to use electronic devices while driving. “It’s an opportunity for people to start a conversation when they ask what the decals are all about”
Seriously?? In this day and age people will read the decal and ask “what is all this about”? I say if someone does ask what it is about their license should be revoked on the spot! This would be the same as asking what is that black and white sign on the road that says Maximum 100? geeze..
I’m surprised the City hasn’t been hiring people to sit in the passenger seat and monitor the electronic devices.
12 percent is 5 times more likely to have an accident? What do their percentages refer to? By their chart other passengers more than double your chance of an accident
What scares the crap outta me is the fact that 73% of fatal crashes were caused by people that were not distracted and were actually paying attention!
That’s a big one.
cheers
No, it just means they weren’t distracted. 73% of the time they are speeding, or running stale yellow lights, or running stop signs, or drifting across the center line due to excessive speed. The majority of the other 73% are “accidents” caused by the “the rules don’t apply to me mindset”. And the “I’m a great driver, I can push the limits.”
If everyone obeyed the rules of the road as written, it would take us all about 3% longer to get to where we want to go, but our insurance rates would plummet, body shops would close in droves, emergency rooms would become uncrowded, orthopedic surgeons would have to look for work.
But fortunately for the aforementioned, we are all much smarter than the engineers and road designers and substitute our wealth of knowledge and drive whatever way suits us – knowing all along, the chances of being caught – are near zero.
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