Sister of teen who died as a result of distracted driving urges you to put down your phone
Posted October 20, 2014 12:40 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – As new distracted driving laws kick in BC today, a woman whose brother died while reaching for his phone is hoping you can learn from his mistake.
Many of us think we can multi-task better than the average joe, but using your cell phone behind the wheel can have fatal consequences.
Meg Field knows that all too well, as her 17-year-old brother Josh died five years ago after reaching for his phone before smashing into a median.
“It literally took one second for all this to happen,” says Field. “If it wasn’t for that simple mistake — if he would have known more about the dangers of distracted driving and what that could have done — he might still be here today.”
Alex Kelly with a group called Parachute, which aims to help people avoid preventable injuries, says many people have a high level of confidence in their ability to multi-task until tragedy strikes.
“A lot of people think they’re better than average at multi-tasking, when in actuality it really does break your focus from the road,” explains Kelly. “So you really need to drive like your life depends on it and maintain two eyes on the road, two hands on the wheel at all times.”
This comes as BC introduces laws which will penalize drivers with three penalty points in addition to the $167 fine which was already in place.
