Spring distracted driving campaign kicks into high gear

#EyesFwdBC!

It's distracted driving campaign time. ICBC tells us distracted driving is responsible for about 28% of collision fatalities in B.C. each year. On average, 82 people die each year in a crash where distracted driving is a contributing factor.

Every year, on average, according to police reported data from 2017 to 2021:

• 28 people are killed in distracted driving-related crashes in the Lower Mainland.

• 12 people are killed in distracted driving-related crashes on Vancouver Island.

• 30 people are killed in distracted driving-related crashes in the Southern Interior.

• 12 people are killed in distracted driving-related crashes in the North Central region.

Let's not forget, distracted driving is not something that is always connected with the use of an electronic device by the driver either. There are many other sources of distraction that take a driver's attention away from the task of driving. Anything that takes your hands off the wheel or your mind off of the task can be distracting as well.

The B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police has a stake in this as well. It’s Traffic Safety Committee contributes the following advice: "Distracted driving continues to be a serious issue in our province – it's the number one cause of crashes. Police officers see distracted drivers on the roads in every community. We are stepping up efforts making sure people leave their phones alone while driving."

To round out the message, remember your first ticket for improper use of an electronic device while driving will cost you a $368 fine and $252 for the four penalty points. Do it again within one year (about 1,335 of us do) and you are looking at a bill for just over $2,500.

Police issued 27,113 tickets for the use of electronic devices by drivers while driving in 2021.

I often wonder whether these campaigns get through to the people who they are aimed at. According to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, they do make a difference. They:

• Reduced the number of road incidents by approximately 9%

• Increased seatbelt use by 25%

• Reduced speeding by 16%

• Increased yielding behaviour by 37%

• Increased risk comprehension by about 16%

However, they must be coupled with legislation, enforcement and education, which our government and ICBC tries to do.

There is also some indication that local, personally directed campaigns show, by far, the biggest effect on road accidents.

So, thank you for reading this. Hopefully you take something away from this and that results in a reduction of your crash risk.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.