PSA - Please Don't Use your Devices and Drive

Image from:
So this morning on the radio there was a segment on how local stores were selling quickly out of dashcams.  You know, those little go-pro like cameras that people put on the dashes of their cars and record their trip through the windshield.

Why they've suddenly become popular are because of 2 recent videos.  One was of a near transport crash.  A transport driver sees a snow plow in the opposite lane, then another transport pulls out behind it to pass... but the northern Ontario roads are narrow and only 2 lanes and the driver nearly crashes into the ditch to avoid.  Pretty scary stuff.

Then this one just came out.  A driver is going down the high way and another at an intersection pulls out, obliviously, causing a t-bone.  The scary part was that the driver you can see had a phone to his ear... on the side of the incoming traffic.

2 pretty bad cases of bad driving in my neck of the woods.  I'm sure there's more.

But at the same time there's been a lot of talk about distracted driving.  Ontario recently increased the fines from $150 to $280.  You'd think that would help reduce people from using their devices.

A report from the OPP out recently states that the leading cause of death on the highways is due to distracted driving. You'd think that might help wake people up.

Yet, every day I notice people on their phones while driving.  Some talking, holding it to their ear.  Some looking down to their lap.  I'll admit... I'm guilty of the odd drive by Ingress'ing, or trying to dial on speakerphone.  But I've definitely made a conscious effort to stop that.  Especially after our article last year on your driving/device habits.

There's all kinds of statistics that show you how dangerous it is.  CAA has a neat 'demo' on their website.  But I don't think the message is getting out.

Please join me and try to keep the phones out of the way while you drive.  It'll be safer for everybody!