New distracted driver law to take effect September 1st
Posted Jun 22, 2011 3:48 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The province hopes the number of traffic collisions will decline starting September 1st when its new distracted drivers law goes into effect.
Calgary Police Constable Jim Lebedeff tells 660News, the province will be spreading the word through television, newspaper and radio advertisements which will tell us that changes are on the way and the use of hand-held devices will no longer be legal while behind the wheel.
“No texting,” says Lebadeff. “I know Blackberry, in particular, has an application where it will actually read the text message to you, send a reply: ‘I’m driving at this time, can not respond.’ There’s so many different things out there that can be utilized for hands free.”
“It’s going to make people pay attention to what they should be doing: driving. Hands on the wheel, eyes out there driving,” he added.
But Lebedeff notes there will also be a grace period, with offending drivers initially getting a warning, before distracted drivers are dinged with tickets for $172 starting at the end of September.
“I think it’s going to be a slow transition where it’s going to be a lot of education,” he says, and telling people: ‘Hey this can happen. If you’re looking at your Blackberry or you’re looking at your GPS and that little kid runs out from a parked car, and you should have been looking up and you hit him, how’s that going to make you feel?'”
Studies show 20 to 30 per cent of all collisions involved distracted drivers.
The new law will include more than cell and smart phones. It also covers reading, writing and personal grooming, among other things.
