For distracted drivers, the time has come to shape up - or pay up.
Bill 16, which comes into law on September 1, will serve to effectively ban distracted driving in all its forms.
Drivers caught busying themselves with distractions like phones, electronic devices, reading materials and others will be given a hefty fine.
And deservedly so.
All of us have seen distracted drivers on the road at one time or another. Many of us, if we’re being honest, have in fact been those distracted drivers at least once.
Distraction can take many forms, and when you’re operating a moving vehicle, all of them are dangerous.
The most common is probably talking on one’s cell phone while driving. The act of carrying on a conversation isn’t all that distracting in and of itself. We do it with our passengers, after all. But holding a cell phone up to your ear with one hand and fiddling with it often takes your attention away from where it belongs; the road.
The advent of texting has created another, arguably more dangerous phone-based distraction. A person talking on their phone can at least keep their eyes on the road, but someone looking down and texting with one (or both) hands becomes a great danger to both themselves and those around them.
If you think a phone is the only thing that can distract you in a car, you’d be wrong. GPS units, while legal to use, shouldn’t be touched while a vehicle is in motion. Instead, destinations should be punched in before heading out onto the road.
Then there are the people who truly take distracted driving to a new level. Some drivers have been known to read, write, groom themselves and even prepare meals while in control of a moving vehicle.
Confidence is a great thing to have, but nobody has the skill to drive safely while distracted. The irresponsible behaviour will inevitably catch up to the perpetrator, and when it does the results can be catastrophic.
Driving a vehicle is a privalege, not a right. And drivers must never forget that they are in control of a very powerful machine capable of moving at great speeds; a machine that can cause great harm to its operator and all those in its near vicinity if mishandled.
As this new legislation takes effect, let’s all work on being more focused drivers. It might save our lives.
And our money.
