A Prince George woman has won her appeal of her distracted driving conviction for using a two-way radio. The British Columbia Supreme Court sided with Tania Lousia Shelford, who protested that her radio was attached to her van. A lower court had rejected the appeal saying the microphone she used was not fixed to the van, but justices found it was. "The hand unit is just the microphone for the user and the receiver is the mounted radio unit to which (the microphone) is connected," the high court found in late May 2021. In Victoria, a 24-year-old driver who stuck and injured a young … [Read more...]
Alberta: Distracted driving news
January 24, 2011 by 4 Comments
Alberta's justice minister is under investigation following a phone call to Edmonton's police chief regarding a distracted driving ticket the minister received. He has taken a leave of absence in the matter. “To be abundantly clear, at no point did I request that the ticket be rescinded,” Kaycee Madu said in a statement. “I would never do that." He said in mid-January 2022 that he regretted "raising the issue at all" with the police chief. The ticket for cell phone use was issued in a school zone. Madu, who is black, said he was concerned he was racially profiled and that the citation could … [Read more...]
Canadians: Ban phones, save money
October 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The distracted driving debate rarely comes down to money, but a Canadian study finds that a ban on cell phones can have economic benefits in addition to saving lives. The University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine says its home province of Alberta could produce an annual savings of $36 million a year by instituting a cell phone ban. The breakdown is $6 million in lower health care costs and $30 million in savings on clearing away wreckage from vehicle crashes. The lead researcher called the revenue proposition "a no-brainer" for the province. But the costs of a ban on using cell phones … [Read more...]
Election hot button: distracted driving
September 11, 2010 by 2 Comments
Distracted driving has yet to emerge as an election issue in the U.S., but it's making news on the campaign trail in Canada's New Brunswick province. The current Liberal government has come under fire once again for its foot-dragging in enacting specific distracted driving laws. New Brunswick remains one of two Canadian provinces without laws against text messaging while driving. Political Conservatives have said several times during their campaign for the fall election that they’ll promptly enact distracted driving legislation if victorious in the fall. The issue hit the front burner Sept. … [Read more...]
Ontario reins in handheld devices
April 24, 2009 by 24 Comments
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 … [Read more...]
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