‘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

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 they can’t watch movies either. Minister of Works and Transport Colm Imbert is seeking legislation to ban both activities. “We will be putting a ban on cell phone use when driving,” Imbert said Jan. 11, 2010. “All research indicates that cell phone use can be as dangerous as drinking and driving.” 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 is facing charges after she allegedly crashed her car into a parked vehicle while talking on a handheld cell phone. The Crown Prosecution Service said Harriet Harman would be charged with driving without “due care and attention” and using a handheld mobile telephone. She faces fines of over 5,000 pounds and nine points on her license for the South London crash. The Labour deputy leader denied the allegations.

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 cell phone law updates

Canada cell phone/texting overview: Distracted driving legislation is being 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 and Newfoundland/Labrador.

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

• 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.
• Alberta has been hesitant in forging a law to control distracted driving.
• Manitoba’s cell phone/texting ban has been approved with enforcement expected to begin in fall 2010.
• 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.”

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 goverments 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.

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 went into effect Jan. 1, 2010, but drivers still have a month before getting tickets. After that, the tickets will 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.

Ontario’s ban on drivers’ use of handheld electronic devices such as cell phones and PDAs went into effect Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. Fines of up to $500 (CAN) kicked in Feb. 1.

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.”

Alberta’s Tory government seems to support a ban on handheld cell phone use by province drivers … but it’ll be a while. Transportation Minister Luke Ouellette noted that “distracted driving has become pretty high on all transportation ministers’ agendas right across the country.” He told reporters Oct. 27, “I want to cover all of the different aspects of distracted driving. And I can’t say exactly when that will be.” He said new legislation may not be the answer.

Ouellette said in January 2010 that that distracted driving legislation is “going through the process” and could be introduced in the spring.

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said in December 2009 that he wanted to see the effects of texting bans in other provinces before acting. It will be at least a year, apparently. “Not this spring. We have a busy agenda this spring,” Stelmach told the Calgary Herald. Tory MLA Art Johnston, whose legislation that would have outlawed use of handheld communications devices for drivers was killed in committee, says the province is just dragging its feet. Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson says distracted driving legislation is overdue.

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.)

Manitoba’s ban on drivers’ use of hand-held cell phones and texting devices is being targeted for fall 2010. The fine would be $191, the transportation ministry said.

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.

Text messaging a hot topic after crash

News that text messaging played a role in the deadly L.A. commuter train crash has thrust the practice of texting while driving into the national debate.

(Update) The National Safety Board reported Oct. 1 that engineer Robert Sanchez sent a text message 22 seconds before the crash, after he had sent and received text messages numberous times during his shifts that day. He received a text message 80 seconds before the crash, the NTSB said.

Wireless industry analyst Jack Gold said the widely publicized information that Sanchez had been texting certainly will inspire more legislation against the practice.

The cellular industry “can’t win this one,” Gold told Computerworld shortly after the texting suspicions first were reported. “What politician would vote against a bill against texting while driving if they find a train engineer killed 25 people while texting?”

The New York Times tackled the issue in a front-page article. “Though there are no official casualty statistics, there is much anecdotal evidence that the number of fatal accidents stemming from texting while driving, crossing the street or engaging in other activities is on the rise,” the Times reported.

“We have had far too many tragic incidents around the country that are painful proof that this is a terrible problem,” said California state Sen. Joe Simitian, author of the law banning handheld cell phone use by motorists.

Update: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Simitian’s anti-text messaging bill on Sept. 25. The ban on texting will take effect Jan. 1.

“This is a public-safety crisis, not just good sense,” L.A.’s Daily News editorialized when it called for Schwarzenegger to sign the texting bill.

The new law prohibits driving “while using an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication.” The law will “impose a base fine of $20 for a first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense.”

Now six states — Alaska, California, Minnesota, New Jersey, Louisiana and Washington — have outlawed driving and texting. At least 15 other states have texting-related bills up for legislative approval, many of them linked to proposed bans on using cell phones without hands-free devices.

Washington was the first state in the nation to pass legislation banning text messaging while driving. The practice is going by the acronym DWT — driving while texting.

A survey by Nationwide Insurance found that 40% of teenage drivers engage in texting while driving. Overall, about 18% of drivers say they send and receive text messages while on the road. The numbers were collected two years ago, so they no doubt have increased with the popularity of the iPhones and similar multitask cell phones.

The California Public Utilities Commission reacted to the Chatsworth, Calif., train crash by placing an emergency ban on all train personnel using cell phones or other wireless devices while on duty.

The NSB said it would “correlate (Sanchez’s wireless use) with other investigative information to determine as precisely as possible the exact times of those messages in relation to the engineer’s operation of his train.”

Canadian docs want cell phone crackdown

With or without a hands-free device, motorists are at a significantly greater risk of getting into a serious accident when they use a cell phone and drive, a new study says.

The Ontario Medical Association called on its provincial government to enact laws reducing the cell phone dangers. The Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and Nova Scotia have banned the use of hand-held cell phones.

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

The group stated: “The OMA has found evidence that cell phone use (regardless of whether it is hands-free or hand-held) has a significant impact on the driver’s cognitive functions, visual concentration, the speed at which they can process information and, as a result, their reaction time.”

The research found that using a cell phone while driving:

• Greatly reduced the driver’s functional field of view
• Changed average driving speed
• Decreased the “safe distance” between vehicles
• Slowed brake reaction time
• Slowed response times to traffic light changes
• Resulted in a 15% increase in non-response to stoplights
• Reduced visual monitoring of mirrors and instruments
• Resulted in fewer inspection glances at traffic lights
• Produced an increased tendency toward hard braking.

The OMA noted it is clear that any activity such as dialing, typing or reading a text message is unsafe for drivers and those around them.

Opponents of cell phone legislation no doubt will point out that this was a “review of literature,” not new research. (Regardless, the OMA story has been getting good play in newspapers and online.)

So why weigh in?

“We believe it is the role of physicians to investigate the health impacts of societal activities, such as driving while using your phone, and to report these publicly,” the OMA said. “Sometimes the evidence is conclusive enough to require physicians to challenge the status quo and champion the health and safety of their patients by calling for legislative action.”

In August 2008, the Alberta Medical Association endorsed a bill that would ban hand-held cell phone use while driving.

The medical association voiced its support before a legislative committee reviewing Bill 204, the Traffic Safety Amendment Act. The Alberta doctors called for outlawing use of hands-free cell phones as well.

That private member’s bill from Calgary Tory MLA Art Johnston was killed by the committee in early October. The panel instead urged remedies that include all major driving distractions.

“I personally think the biggest distraction is a cellphone, and text messaging,” Johnston told the Calgary Herald. “We still have people very, very divided on it, but I believe in it and I’m going to do the best I can until it’s (legislated).”

On Oct. 4, Alberta Tories rejected two resolutions restricting the use of cell phones and other wireless devices while driving. One would have banned all cell phone use by motorists while the other targeted only hand-held cell phones. Premier Ed Stelmach is opposed to cell phone bans, citing the usual array of distracted driving hazards beyond making calls.

The maritime province of Prince Edward Island is debating an islandwide ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving. Transportation and Public Works Minister Ron MacKinley has prepared legislation that also seeks to outlaw text messaging and a variety of other electronic distractions, including use of pagers and iPods.