Advocate backs bid to make distracted driving a federal crime

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Do you think distracted driving be made a federal crime, much like drunk driving? There’s a push to add behaviours like using a handheld phone behind the wheel to Canada’s Criminal Code while introducing tougher penalties.

As it stands now, distracted driving falls under the provincial Motor Vehicle Act and, while BC does have relatively tough laws and penalties, a coroner in Quebec wants any death or injury caused by distracted driving to be prosecuted federally while giving police more power to seize evidence and information.

Karen Bowman with Victoria-based Drop It and Drive is part of a Canadian coalition on distracted driving working on a national action plan. “Part of what we are going to be looking at is what is working and what is not working across Canada. I’m quite sure this recommendation by the coroner will be put on the table,” she tells NEWS 1130.

“We are trying to figure what consequence is enough of a deterrent to get people to stop doing it. Whether it becomes part of the criminal code is, I think, something that is worthy of investigating.”

Bowman believes the comparative risk factor for distracted driving is similar to that of drunk driving. “I’m not sure which is worse but they are both killing and injuring people unnecessarily. The Criminal Code gives greater opportunity for substantive action against somebody who causes harm to somebody else because of a choice they’ve made behind the wheel.”

“Remember, these aren’t accidents. If they are electing to do something behind the wheel that is a distraction, it’s a conscious choice.”

The Quebec coroner’s recommendations come after a 28-year-old truck driver was killed in a crash earlier this year, likely caused because he was on his phone.

After repeated calls to change the law, the BC government increased fines for distracted driving on June 1st. Anyone caught texting or talking on the phone while behind the wheel, including at a red light, could be slapped with a $543 fine for a first offence, $888 for a second offence within a year and $3,760 for a fifth infraction. Each ticket also comes with a penalty of four points.

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