U.N. mobilizes against distracted driving

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has thrown the U.N.’s weight behind a global push to stamp out distracted driving.

Ban also has ordered the U.N.’s 40,000 staffers to stop texting while behind the wheel of the organization’s vehicles.

Ban said at a New York gathering for the global distracted driving campaign: “We are seeing a major emerging challenge of driver distraction, mainly by using mobile phones. Together we have a message to all drivers of the world — don’t let using a mobile for a few seconds make you and others immobile for life.”

(Photo, from left: Jennifer Smith, Ban Ki-moon, Susan Rice)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, an avowed hardliner on texting and cell phoning by drivers, said at Wednesday’s event:

“Distracted driving isn’t just a deadly epidemic in the U.S. — it’s a threat around the world. We believe our nations can do more to stop distracted driving if we work together. 

“The Obama administration stands ready to work with other countries so that we can put an end to dangerous driving behaviors and make the world’s roads safer for everyone,” LaHood said.

Last fall, President Obama banned texting by federal employees while they’re driving government vehicles. (Text continued below.)

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin noted that distracted driving was a focus of November’s Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Moscow.

“Russia is ready to engage with the United States and other interested countries in defining the ways to mainstream (the fight against distracted driving) into global road safety cooperation agenda,” Churkin said.

The “global anti-distracted driving effort” wasn’t detailed by the speakers, but it “has an active online component that will allow other countries, safety organizations, and anti-distraction campaigns to share news and research as well as multimedia and other information,” according to a DOT release.

Thirty-two countries — including Russia, Brazil, France, Japan, Jordan, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom — have passed laws that restrict drivers’ use of handheld devices. Portugal has outlawed all phone use by drivers. (“Some of the world’s nations are far ahead of us on this,” LaHood wrote on his DOT blog.)

Ban said in some companies, 90 percent of drivers used mobile phones.

No statistics were available on the global cost of distracted driving, but the DOT said vehicle crashes around the world claim 1.3 million lives each year — roughly one death every 30 seconds.

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said, “Texting while driving isn’t a harmless little habit. It’s a killer. It affects every nation on Earth. The suffering it causes is terribly direct and immediate—lives lost for no reason, futures shattered in an instant. But its toll is truly global. So this is a problem that needs global attention and action.”

Also on hand was an emotional Jennifer Smith, co-founder and president of the survivors activist group FocusDriven. She spoke of how her mother was killed by a young man who ran a red light while using his cell phone.

“It is a human problem affecting the entire world. … These victims are real people. These are human lives being taken for a phone call.”

Alberta distracted driving law unveiled

Alberta would no longer be “Canada’s traffic-safety donkey” under long-delayed legislation that would tackle distracted driving.

The province’s Tory government called the plan “some of the most comprehensive distracted driving legislation in Canada.”

Bill 16, introduced April 14, would outlaw drivers’ use of handheld cell phones (hands-free OK), as well as PDAs and other handheld electronic communications devices. Texting would be included in forbidden activities.

Alberta’s distracted driving legislation includes a ban on “personal grooming” while driving. While frequently cited (by dubious lawmakers) during distracted driving debates in North America, this is one of the few measures to seriously propose such a ban.

“Drivers can be distracted behind the wheel for many reasons other than talking on their phone,” said MLA Art Johnston, who introduced the bill. “This legislation goes beyond a simple hand-held cellphone ban.”

Also prohibited for drivers would be non-commercial use of CB radios, writing, drawing, sketching and non-transportation-related video screen watching.

(Update) A day later, the government raised the possibility that enforcement might be secondary if the law is approved — meaning police need another reason to pull over drivers before issuing a citation.

Alberta had been criticized by safety groups and some legislators for dragging its feet on distracted driving legislation while other provinces took action.

The Calgary Sun editorialized in January: “The Stelmach government keeps dangling the carrot (of distracted driving laws), and then yanking it away. … Alberta … is set to become Canada’s traffic-safety donkey once again.” The paper cited fear of drops in popularity polls as one reason for the delays.

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach cited a “busy agenda” as the reason no distracted driving legislation was proposed for 2009.

Strathcona County (east of capital Edmonton) has the province’s only law against driving while cell phoning and text messaging.

MLA Johnston, Calgary-Hays, is a former policeman who has been pushing for distracted driving for years. “I appreciate the great input of law enforcement and traffic safety stakeholders that has led to the introduction of this legislation,” he said. “This is a complex issue and I believe we have found a good balance between enforcement and safety.”

‘Name and shame’ cell phone violators

Steady, cell phone chatterers. The Essex Chronicle in England has decided to “name and shame” drivers who are violating traffic laws by using mobile phones behind the wheel.

A reporter accompanied local police as they cited drivers for chatting and texting while motoring. The newspaper then printed the perps’ names and photos.

The unusual tactic sometimes is used by the media to humiliate prostitutes’ johns, but the cell phone suspects didn’t seem all that repentant.

“I don’t like people telling me how to live my life,” said second-time offender Gemma Dean. When asked if she felt like she was endangering others by cell phoning while behind the wheel, she replied: “I don’t really care.”

At least one fellow caught one-handed admitted: “I feel a bit stupid now.”

An online commenter pointed out that these are alleged offenses. “The Essex Chronicle are NOT the police or a magistrates court!”

In any event the cell phone chronicles could be good for circulation. “Buy this week’s Chronicle for more on the issue and to see if you were pictured on the phone behind the wheel by our photographers,” the paper’s web site urged.

Ontario cell phone, texting ban begins

Ontario’s law banning the use of handheld electronic devices by drivers is now in effect.

Enforcement of the province-wide ban started Monday, but the fines that could sap violators of $500 (CAN) won’t kick in until Feb. 1, 2010.

“This law is about keeping your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel,” Transportation Minister Jim Bradley said at a news conference in Toronto on Monday. “We need to prevent these unnecessary road accidents and I believe this law will do just that.”

Drivers may continue to use cell phones if a hands-free device such as a Bluetooth headset
is employed.

Violations include talking, texting or emailing on cell phones or PDAs while behind the wheel. Cell phones may be used if the driver pulls off the road, but not while stopped in traffic.

Laptop computers and entertainment devices such as DVD players and game units are covered as well. The law prohibits viewing of any electronic screen “unrelated to the driving task such as laptops or DVD players while driving,” Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation says.

GPS units are exempted if they are mounted to a dashboard and iPods must be connected to the auto’s speaker system.

Read Ontario’s complete Rules for Hand-Held Wireless and Entertainment Devices.

There are no points charged to the license under Ontario’s new law, but drivers who endanger others while using electronic devices could face 6 points and fines up to $1,000.

The Legislature unanimously passed the plan on April 22, 2009. Premier Dalton McGuinty had opposed the ban but gave in to growing support. The intent was to get the law in place before the onset of winter driving.

Newfoundland and Labrador have long outlawed use of handheld cell phones while driving. Quebec and Nova Scotia joined the club this year. British Columbia is about to enact similar sanctions.

Saskatchewan and Alberta are in various stages of enacting bans against drivers using handheld cell phones and text messaging.

Read the Ontario cell phone and texting bill 118 (PDF).

Related content:

Ontario reins in handheld devices

Ontario targets cell phones, text messages

Canadian cell phone law updates

International cell phone law roundup

English road safety group Brake is pushing for an expansion of the country’s ban on drivers’ use of handheld cell phones, with hands-free mobiles outlawed as well. “It’s time that our politicians took note and put an end to the ridiculous situation where using a hand-held mobile is banned, but using hands-free isn’t,” said Ellen Booth, campaigns officer.

The U.K. Home Office reports that in 2009, about 116,000 tickets were handed out for mobile phone use while driving. The number is off 30% from two years ago, the Telegraph reported May 5, 2010. Meanwhile, cell phone use by motorists was up 27%. A spokesman for Brake, the road safety group, said: “This is clearly a law which is being flouted and isn’t being enforced to a degree that actually makes people think that they are going to get caught.”

New Zealand’s ban on text messaging and using handheld cell phones while driving went into effect Nov. 1, 2009. Police report high compliance with the New Zealand cell phone/texting ban early on. Use of cell phones with hands-free devices is permitted. Fines are $80 and include 20 demerit points.

“There are a lot of other distractions while driving but hand-held mobile phone use has grown to become a significant problem,” Transport Minister Steven Joyce said. The New Zealand Herald reported there 482 injury crashes and 25 fatal accidents in the country between 2003 and 2008. Update: The government has agreed to allow use of mobile phones as GPS devices while driving.

Trinidad and Tobago are cracking down on drivers’ use of cell phones — and the motorists won’t be able to watch movies either. Minister of Works and Transport Colm Imbert is seeking legislation to ban both activities. He said March 31, 2009, that the remaining issue with Trinidad’s cell phone law was whether to allow hands-free operation of cell phones. The law is expected to go into effect by October 2010. “Certainly, the current scenario, where drivers have a cell phone in one hand and the steering wheel in the other, should be a thing of the past before the end of the year,” Imbert said. Video viewing would be allowed for passengers in the back seat, according to the plan.

Police in Scotland wrote 180 tickets for driving and using wireless devices on Feb. 25, as a one-day national crackdown on distracted driving. Among those ticketed: A bus driver reading text messages while crossing through a city center.

Bermuda’s opposition party is calling for a ban on the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving. The island has a twist on the usual distracted driving issues. Shadow Transport Minister Michael Fahy explains: “The phenomenon of the use of cell phones on bikes seems to be almost unique to Bermuda, where we constantly see people texting whilst driving their bikes, or a phone shoved in a helmet. It is only a matter of time before serious injury or death results from this poor driving habit.” Members of the ruling party seemed to agree, according to the Royal Gazette. Bermuda is a British territory located about 650 miles off North Carolina. The United Kingdom banned handheld cell phone use while driving in 2003.

Great Britain’s Labour party deputy leader was fined £350 after pleading guilty to backing her car into a parked vehicle while talking on a handheld cell phone. She also had 3 points charged against her license with the Jan. 9, 2010, sentence. The Crown Prosecution Service said Harriet Harman initially was charged with driving without “due care and attention” and using a handheld mobile telephone. The cell phone charge was dropped, which drew criticism from the road safety group Brake. She faced fines of over 5,000 pounds and nine points on her license for the South London crash.

European cell phone, texting roundup

Europe’s bottom line: Most EU member nations have banned cell phone use while driving motor vehicles, although some countries provide exceptions for mobile phones with hands-free devices. When in Europe, assume cell phone use is prohibited for drivers.

Serbia: (Aug. 16, 2009) The Law on Safety in Traffic goes into effect Dec. 10, 2009. The Serbian ban on cell phone use while driving brings fines of €60. Punishments of up to €250 and some jail time (five to 10 days) may be imposed if an accident is in the equation, according to the web site Balkan Insight. As many as 20 percent of accidents in the country involve cell phone us, police say.

A close shave with Ontario cell phone ban

Ontario’s government ombudsman is taking heat for distracted driving — because he was busy making a tattle-tale video of an extreme case of distracted driving.

Andre Martin, the province watchdog, noticed a driver ahead of him using an electric razor to shave his head. Martin whipped out his iPhone and made a video of the outrage, posting it as an example of how motorists will do just about anything behind a wheel, the Toronto Sun reported. Martin was stopped at a light at the time.

Unfortunately for Martin, his actions were in violation of the Ontario’s new hands-free law, at least in theory. The ban on using cell phones, cameras and texting devices has been approved but the cops won’t be writing tickets until fall.

The Ontario Safety League president wasn’t a fan of Martin’s civic vigilance. “He may want to review his protocols going forward,” he told the Sun.

“If this had occurred when the new law was in, there would have been two offenders.”

Other behaviors cited in the new law are emailing, watching DVDs, fooling with MP3 players and video gaming. No mention of head-buzzing, yet.

Phoning in other drivers’ antics appears to be a popular pastime in Ontario, with a third of impaired-motorist reports coming from fellow citizens.

The tattlers will be plenty busy in the fall, as the ban on handheld cell phones and texting goes into effect.

Ontario reins in handheld devices

Ontario drivers who like to yak and text on handheld cell phones have about six months to cure themselves of the habits.

(Update: The Ontario ban on handheld electronics for drivers went into effect Monday, Oct. 26. This post is about the bill passing.)

The Legislature gave final approval Wednesday to a ban on texting and using handheld devices behind the wheel. Prohibited activities include emailing, watching DVDs, fooling with MP3 players and video gaming.

Drivers may continue to use cell phones if a hands-free device such as a Bluetooth headset
is employed.

“What we’re trying to do is to avoid distractions while people are driving — those distractions being caused, in this case, by electronic devices that are hand-held,” said Transportation Minister Jim Bradle.

Fine would be as much as $500 (CAN). There are no points charged to the license under this law, but drivers who endanger others while using electronic devices could face 6 points and fines up to $1,000.

Premier Dalton McGuinty had opposed the plan, but it gained momentum since introduction last fall. Local media reported that the intent of the handheld device ban is to get the law in place before the onset of winter driving.

The provinces of Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador all have adopted bans on driving and using electronic devices.

Canadian distracted driving updates

Canada cell phone/texting overview: Distracted driving legislation has been enacted across Canada, with restrictions similar to those being adopted in the United States.

Most Canadian provinces have outlawed use of handheld cell phones and/or text messaging while driving — Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Newfoundland/Labrador.

Here’s an update on the other provinces and territories.

• Alberta’s government has proposed an extensive set of rules that target distracted driving. Debate begins in the fall.
• Prince Edward Island’s ban on the use of handheld electronic devices went into effect Jan. 23, 2010.
• Saskatchewan’s ban on talking and texting on handheld cellphones became law Jan. 1, 2010.
• British Columbia’s bans on handheld cell phone use and text messaging while driving became law Jan. 1, 2010, with fines of $167 beginning Feb. 1.
• Manitoba’s cell phone/texting went into effect July 15.
• The Yukon Territory’s legislators have almost unanimously endorsed creation of a plan to rein in drivers’ use of cell phones and “similar electronic devices.”

Alberta’s lawmakers have set the debate over distracted driving for fall. Bill 16, introduced by MLA Art Johnston, would ban handheld cell phones (hands-free OK) as well as PDAs and other handheld electronic communications devices. Texting would be banned. Also prohibited would be personal grooming, non-commercial use of CB radios, writing, drawing, sketching and use of certain video screens. Fine of $172, no demerits.

“We are sending a strong safety message to all Albertans: When you’re in your vehicle, your focus must be on driving,” said Luke Ouellette, the transportation minister. Ouellette gave signals the day after the introduction that enforcement might be secondary if the law is approved — meaning police need another reason to pull over drivers before issuing a citation.

Alberta had been criticized by safety groups and some legislators for dragging its feet on distracted driving legislation. Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said in December 2009 that he wanted to see the effects of texting bans in other provinces before acting. He cited a “busy agenda” as the reason it was not addressed that year. Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson says distracted driving legislation is overdue.

The Alberta Motor Association says its poll of province drivers indicated 75 percent were in favor of Bill 16, the distracted driving legislation to be debated in the fall. Almost 70 percent backed limits on the use of all cell phones, including hands-free.

Edmonton city councilor Dave Thiele is lobbying for Alberta to ban all cell phone use by motorists. “I would encourage Transportation Minister Luke Ouellette to amend the bill to include hands-free devices in the bill,” he wrote in an op-ed piece.

Strathcona County’s ban on texting and handheld cell phone use while driving began Sept. 1, 2009. The county bylaw is the first in Alberta. The activities are outlawed on country roads, not those policed by the province. Fines run from $100 to $200. The ban on text messaging and handheld cell phone use was approved in May. Alberta’s government is developing similar legislation. (Strathcona County is east of Edmonton, with a population of more than 80,000.)

Ontario Provincial Police wrote almost 3,800 distracted driving tickets in the five-month period between February 2010 (when active enforcement began) and July. OPP said tickets were down from May (778) to June (496). The numbers did not include municipal police, Toronto’s Metro reported. The ban became law in October 2009. Fines of $125CAN (typical) didn’t kick in until Feb. 1.

In Ottawa, Ontario’s ban on drivers’ use of handheld electronic devices such as cell phones and PDAs led to almost 2,000 citations so far in 2010, the Police Service reported in mid-August.

Total ban on cell phones: The Canadian Automobile Association is convinced that driving while using a hands-free cell phone is no safer than driving with a handheld cell phone. It’s pushing the provincial governments to expand their bans. The group says Nova Scotia is reconsidering its law and it hopes to sway New Brunswick as it writes its driving and cell phones law.

The British Columbia Automobile Association says handheld cell phone use has been greatly reduced in the six months since the province’s ban went into effect. But plenty of drivers say they still see others using mobile phones. The BCAA polled users of its web site and e-newsletter in June and July 2010, with only 6 percent of the respondents saying they continue to use handheld cell phones while driving. But 77 percent of those surveyed said they saw other drivers yakking and driving at least once a week. Based on the responses, “it is particularly encouraging to see the significant number of drivers who either pull off the road to make or take a call, or are no longer using a phone at all,” a BCAA spokesman said.

Cell phone poll: Canadians remain split over the need to outlaw cell phone use while driving, with about half of those polled supporting outright bans. Forty-two percent were opposed. A clear majority (67%) told pollsters that drivers wouldn’t obey cell phone bans, while half said police wouldn’t enforce the laws anyway. Older respondents (58%) wanted bans on all types of cell phone use by drivers, while younger people generally were not supportive (28%). The poll of 1,007 adults was taken online in late October 2009 by TNS Canadian Facts.

Saskatchewan’s ban on text messaging and use of handheld cell phones took effect Jan. 1, 2010. June Draude, minister for Saskatchewan Government Insurance, introduced the legislation Nov. 12 and it passed a final reading on Nov. 25. New drivers also will be prohibited from any cell phone use. Violators are to be fined $280 and will receive four demerit points.

British Columbia’s texting and handheld cell phone bans resulted in 715 tickets in the first two months of enforcement. The bans went into effect Jan. 1, 2010, but there was a month’s warning period. Tickets cost $167. Up to three points could be assessed against a text-messaging or emailing driver.

Prince Edward Island’s law against driving while using handheld electronic devices went into effect Jan. 23, 2010. Fines range from $250 to $400 plus 3 points against license.

New Brunswick appears to be the only province not dealing with distracted driving. New Brunswick reportedly is monitoring the success of cell phone and texting bans in other provinces. The CBC quoted a city councilor, David Kelly of Fredericton, as asking: “What is it gonna take? “Is it gonna take a certain ration of accidents? What do we have to do here in New Brunswick? What else is it gonna take for us to go that next step?”

Moncton, a city in New Brunswick, banned cell phone use and text messaging for all of its employees. The ban begins April 1, 2010, a month after approval. Councillor Pierre Boudreau said the city was setting an example for the province.

Before adopting its cell phone/text messaging bans, the British Columbia government had asked the public to fill out a distracted driving study that came with seven questions regarding the issue of cell phoning and text messaging.

About 25 percent of traffic accidents in British Columbia are linked to distracted driving behaviors such as use of cell phones, the Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles said in June 2009. The distractions lead to 117 deaths per year, the OSMV report says. Drivers were equally distracted by handheld cell phones and cell phones with hands-free devices attached, said the report, which was actually a “review of distracted driving research.”

The Yukon’s MLAs voted Dec. 2, 2009, in favor of developing laws that would restrict use of cell phones and similar devices. Only one MLA objected. Liberal MLA Darius Elias, who introduced a similar plan in October, told the lawmakers: “I don’t want the Yukon to be the last jurisdiction in Canada to protect its citizens in this way.”

Manitoba’s ban on drivers’ use of hand-held cell phones and texting devices goes into effect July 15, 2010. The fine would be $191, the transportation ministry said. A public education campaign began in September 2009.

The British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police adopted a resolution calling for a ban on handheld cell phone use while driving.

“The data and evidence is overwhelming that people are more likely to be involved in an accident while on a cellphone when they are driving,” said the president of the BCACP, Supt. Bill McKinnon. The vote came on June 17, 2009.

A Saskatchewan poll taken in September 2009 indicated that 60 percent of residents “strongly support” bans on cell phone use and text messaging by drivers. … Saskatoon’s police chief has called for cell phoning and texting to be outlawed for motorists.

The Ontario Medical Association had pushed for a ban on cell phone use in Canada while operating a vehicle, saying it is clear that any activity such as dialing, typing or reading a text message is unsafe for drivers and those around them.

The market research company Angus Reid says 88 percent of Canadians surveyed were supportive of a ban on use of hand-held cell phones by drivers. 77 percent said this prohibition would make the country’s roads and highways much safer.

Respondents in Atlantic Canada (94%) and Quebec (90%) hold the highest level of support for the cell phone ban, along with women (89%), Canadians over the age of 55 (92%) and university graduates (89%), Angus Reid said.

Ontario’s legislature voted unanimously on April 22, 2009, to ban motorists from text messaging, using handheld cell phones and other electronic devices connected with distracted driving. It went into effect Oct. 26. A previous plan to prohibit Ontario motorists from using cell phones without hands-free devices was shot down in October 2008.

Editorials, opinion:
Alberta: “For some reason — some suggest it’s fear of sliding further down the political popularity poll — the Stelmach government keeps dangling the carrot (of distracted driving laws), and then yanking it away. … Alberta … is set to become Canada’s traffic-safety donkey once again.” Michael Platt in the Calgary Sun (Jan. 19, 2010)

“The (Prince Edward Island) government is apparently ready to reintroduce legislation calling for a ban on talking and texting on hand-held cellphones while driving. It’s about time. … The sooner the province can introduce legislation, the sooner it can be passed and brought into law. Let’s just get it done. Motorists who like their phones may grumble at first, but surely they will adjust.” — The Guardian (Sept. 18, 2009)

Ontario targets cell phones, text messages

Ontario drivers would be prohibited from using hand-held cell phones and texting devices under a bill being pushed through by Transportation Minister Jim Bradley.

The Canadian province would join Newfoundland and Labrador in banning use of cell phone while driving unless a hands-free device is employed. The transportation overseers say hand-held devices are involved in about a fifth of all highway accidents.

Drivers’ use of other devices such as iPods, MP3 players, video game players and laptop computers would be prohibited under the proposed law. Bill 118 is called the “Countering Distracted Driving Act.”

Fines begin at $500 per infraction. Motorists who cause harm to others while using a cell phone or similar device face fines of up to $1,000, license suspension and possible imprisonment.

The Ontario Medical Association recently pushed for a ban on cell phoning while operating a vehicle, saying it is clear that any activity such as dialing, typing or reading a text message is unsafe for drivers and those around them.

“Doctors know all too well the consequences of driving while distracted,” OMA president Ken Arnold said.

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