BC more than doubles penalty for distracted driving

[Trigger69]

i had this merry go round discussion with the apologists in comment threads when the cop on the island died. i also had an ambulance attendant that told me that regardless of what other emergency service workers think - it was his personal belief (as one) that it shouldnt be done and he doesnt. and mentioned that there has been near misses because of the use of the electronic devices that he knew of personally.
as far as my complaint....it is in regards to a money grab. and another is that there is a double standard for emergency services and LE. if it is possible for these members of society to function with devices while driving then it should be perfectly fine for the rest of society. if a LE or emergency services driver crashes while using a device it will be investigated and there will be a "*bleep* happens" while doing the job line. why cant "*bleep* happen" in society as well?

I respect your opinion, I really do and I also believe that 1st responders should not use devices while working unless they absolutely have to. That said when the officer on the island died it had nothing to do with the use of electronic devices...nothing.
All my point is, is cops, fire dept and ambulance need to use electronic devices such as the radio and lights and sirens, all electronic devices when working and to not allow them to do so is not feasible in my mind.

[sooperphreek]

electronic devices have become invaluable to contractors and other mobile services for 20+ years. and 99 percent of those drivers have had the experience and ability to not have an accident neither. so if LE and FR are taxing advantage of that luxury i feel it is insane that society cant without impunity.

[lesliepaul]

[

So you have been in a police car going lights and sirens to a nasty call to service? I think not, because if you had you would not have made the silly comment about there is no course for using a lap top in a police car...PERIOD. There is in fact plenty of reasons for using a lap top in a police car. Many of the file updates, background info obtained, mapping systems etc are related to computers in the cars. So before you spout off on matters you clearly know nothing about....educate yourself. As I have posted in a previous post the police, fire and ambulance are allowed to use electronic equipment during the course of their duties, get over it.
Oh and your comment about more accidents involving police cars, care to back that up with any statics?

*removed*

[Smurf]

I love the new distracted driving add Ontario has put out. Hopefully it will clue in a few of the idiots that think they can drive and use their phones, GPS's and other electronic devices. Hopefully they will make up a series and plaster them all over media. They should have a course with lots of even more gruesome pictures, some real bad accident scenes, that anyone caught driving distracted would have to take to keep or get back their licence.

It can be viewed here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/d ... -1.3638563

"We want to emphasize how dangerous it is to take your eyes off the road — even for a moment," said senior media officer Bob Nichols with the Ministry of Transportation in an email.

According to the ministry, deaths caused by distracted driving collisions have more than doubled since 2000, making them the leading cause of death on the province's roads. Statistics from the Ontario Provincial Police show 69 people died last year in collisions where distracted driving played a role.

Someone is injured in a distracted-driving collision every 30 minutes, according to the government's data, causing one out of every seven deaths on Ontario's roads.

You have to be a mental midget to use your phones etc. when driving with all the information that is out there. Believe me when I say there are no super drivers out there that can magically do it. Just a whole bunch of lucky ones whose time is coming.

The Ministry says although most drivers feel sending a text while driving is dangerous, 49 per cent of drivers still feel obliged to answer a call or text while at the wheel.

Does that statistic alone not tell any normal person to shut off their phone while in the car. Is one stupid phone call or message worth yours or someone else's life. How about your child or the little kid down the block.

[Trigger69]

electronic devices have become invaluable to contractors and other mobile services for 20+ years. and 99 percent of those drivers have had the experience and ability to not have an accident neither. so if LE and FR are taxing advantage of that luxury i feel it is insane that society cant without impunity.

Luxury???? It's not a luxury to have to flip on the lights and sirens and go to a horrific call or accident. Its not a luxury to have to use the computer in their cars to get a gps location all the while needing to get there fast. Pretty sure I would be ticked off at the fire dept or cop that said "hey sorry for the delay in getting to your house fire as we are not allowed to use our computers equipment while moving and we had to stop and get the proper address or location".

My point is contractors and the like usually do not have time pressures, and I mean when every min or second counts tied to their duties like LE and fire and ambulance.

[Trigger69]

*removed*

[Smurf]

Agree with what you are saying Trigger69. There is an awful difference in a contractor and emergency service personnel who are rushing to save lives, homes etc. when every second counts. Stopping just once could mean someone dies. Even comparing the two is a joke.

[Smurf]

Came back from the farmers market about an hour ago on 27st in Vernon and the RCMP were just lining the cars up coming off of Hwy 6. Gave them a happy thumbs up. Hopefully there's a few distracted drivers getting a quick lesson.

[Dizzy1]

Came back from the farmers market about an hour ago on 27st in Vernon and the RCMP were just lining the cars up coming off of Hwy 6. Gave them a happy thumbs up. Hopefully there's a few distracted drivers getting a quick lesson.

So, instead of focusing on the road, you watched what the cops were doing and proceeded to give them a "thumbs up"?

Sounds like distracted driving to me ;)

[sooperphreek]

i always laugh when i have the tunes cranked and everyone else is erratically driving swerving off the road when there is a perfectly good passing lane for an ambulance. there has been times when i didnt know until they pass me. time is money. every second counts. even when you contract.

[Smurf]

Dizzy1 wrote:

So, instead of focusing on the road, you watched what the cops were doing and proceeded to give them a "thumbs up"?

Sounds like distracted driving to me ;)

Where did I say I was watching them?????? 5 police cars and a number of cops is pretty hard to miss. Actually I think paying attention to what is going on around you in a narrow 2 lane area like that is defensive driving. As far as the thumbs up I can do that without even taking my eyes off the road unlike say looking at any electronic screen to make changes. Probably not as distracting as thinking about and using a hands free device.

EDIT TO ADD:

Actually a thumbs up is probably no more distracting than using a signal light.

[Dizzy1]

Relax there smurf - hence the " ;) " ;)

[Smurf]

Sorry Dizzy1 I'm not in a real good mood these days and take most everything serious. Need to drop the crap yard jobs and go do some woodcarving..

[Dizzy1]

Sorry Dizzy1 I'm not in a real good mood these days and take most everything serious. Need to drop the crap yard jobs and go do some woodcarving..

No worries man, not always easy to express the tone in one's head through text ;)

[pentona]

Cops had road check (pretty hard to spot) yesterday on Main Street in Penticton. Nailing cel phone users left and right; unbelievable that folks just don't seem to get it. They were using an unsecured, non-digital radio channel (Tac 1) so could hear everything they were saying. Imagine if they could funnel those fines into Health Care and Education; wow....BC would have a surplus of funds.