Distracted drivers' days are numbered

From The Edmonton Sun:

By MICHAEL PLATT

Some will curse about loss of liberty behind the wheel.

Others, more sensible and with a keen instinct for self-preservation, will give thanks for streets finally free of fools absorbed in phone calls and text messages.

Alberta is only weeks away from pushing through legislation which will likely ban the use of cellular phones and other electronic devices while driving. Likely, because the new rules are still under wraps and no one is saying "ban" just yet.

But the wait is nearly over, after more than a decade of debate. By fall, the new law will be on the table.

PREMIER'S PRIORITY

"The premier has indicated this a priority for him, and it's our intention to bring it forward in the fall," said Tammy Forbes, spokesman for Alberta's Ministry of Transportation.

"This legislation is going beyond cellphone use, and looking at the broader issue of distracted driving -- it's going to include cellphones, and we've looked at all entertainment devices, like reading and texting."

Though the final legislation is still being tweaked, Transportation Minister Luke Ouellette told Sun Media that the law will ban distracting activities while driving.

"That would include pets on your lap, putting on makeup, shaving, using a cellphone -- all kinds of distractions," Ouellette said, two weeks ago.

He was reacting to statistics showing driver error was a factor in 90% of 158,055 Alberta crashes last year.

Alberta, in the past, has left drivers to their own devices, relying on existing careless driving laws to nab motorists.

It's certainly a case of a few jerks ruining it for the rest, but it's nothing to see a phone-fixated motorist weaving from lane-to-lane, at speeds at odds with the traffic flow.

A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed people who text and drive are at 23.2 times more likely to crash.

Those who text take their eyes off the road for up to six seconds at a time -- long enough to travel the length of a football field.

If taking on a cellphone was bad, texting behind the wheel is crazy -- but Alberta drivers do it all the time.

The Alberta Motor Association's Don Szarko speaks for one of the key groups consulted by the province as it drafted the new legislation.

While he hasn't seen the final law, Szarko said he expects the changes will be cut and dry. That means a total ban on cellphones, on texting, and on anything else deemed a dangerous distraction.

"It would have to be, because the minute you start splitting hairs, where you're saying it's OK here but not here, then you leave gaps in the law, and you confuse the public," said Szarko.

'ALBERTA MAY GET IT RIGHT'

Szarko said Alberta's 11-year delay in passing a law like those in Newfoundland, Quebec may be an advantage.

"After 11 years of watching how other jurisdictions handled this, Alberta may finally get it right," said Szarko.

Alberta isn't the only province currently dealing with the issue of drivers focusing on electronics. Ontario passed its own distracted driving law in April, making it illegal to use hand-held cellphones and other electronic devices like BlackBerrys, with fines of up to $500.

Forbes, speaking for the Transportation Ministry, says Alberta's legislation will provide a concise answer.

"It will be comprehensive, enforceable and effective," she said.

MICHAEL.PLATT@SUNMEDIA.CA