Safety concerns as attention deficit hits the road
Study shows one in three U.S. teens text and drive.
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
As B.C.’s distracted driving legislation gets set to kick in on Jan.1, a new study on teens and distracted driving validates B.C.’s move to curb talking and texting behind the wheel, Solicitor General Kash Heed announced today.
The report entitled ‘Teens and Distracted Driving’ – by Washington D.C.-based Pew Research Centres Internet & American Life Project – found that of those teens aged 16-17 who own a cellphone or text regularly, more than half have talked on a cellphone while driving and one in three has texted while driving.
“This study is a good snapshot of just how rampant the problem of distracted driving is throughout North America,” said Heed. “Though this is a U.S. study, the trends among youth in both countries are very similar, and these numbers show that strategies like our distracted driving legislation are needed to help reverse this trend before more lives are put in danger.”
As well, the report found that 40 per cent of teens say they have been a passenger in a car when the driver used the cellphone in a manner that placed them or others in danger. Approximately 75 per cent of all American teens aged 12-17 own a cellphone, and 66 per cent use their phones to send or receive text messages.
The Province is targeting distracted driving with changes to the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2010. At that point, only hands-free cellphones and devices that require one touch will be permitted while driving.
Violators will face a $167 fine to be levied starting Feb. 1, 2010. If drivers are caught texting or emailing, they will receive an additional three penalty points.
Drivers in the Graduated Licensing Program (GLP) will not be permitted to use hands-free phones in addition to other prohibited activity, and will receive a $167 fine and three penalty points for any violation.
In the coming weeks, government and ICBC will launch an awareness campaign to educate drivers on the new law and the importance of paying attention to the road, pedestrians and other cars around them.
Victoria
December 17, 2009
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
2009PSSG0045-000784
To view a copy of the Pew Research Centre’s “Teens and Distracted Driving” go to http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1411/teens-distracted-driving-texting-cellphone-use.
ShuNews Note: This was a small study. The number of teens aged 16-17 was 283. Approximately 95 of these texted while driving on at least one occasion, and half had used a cell phone at least once while driving. The study did not examine how many people regularly phone or text while driving, only whether they had ever done it.
