Ask OPP Sgt. Dave Woodford about the dangers of driving while using a cellphone and he’ll tell you about the accident scene that still haunts him: the driver was dead, with his cellphone right next to him. His girlfriend – who he’d been talking to at the time – was still on the line. These cases, Sgt. Woodford said, are becoming increasingly common as law enforcement officials struggle to deal with the problem of distracted driving. With the exception of Nunavut, every province and territory in Canada now has a ban on the use of hand-held devices while driving. Many U.S. states, including New York and California, have similar legislation in place. Still, over a quarter of people killed on OPP-patrolled highways so far this year (47 out of 177 road fatalities) have been the result of “inattentiveness” while driving. And of those, Sgt. Woodford added, the majority of those cases involved texting or talking on the phone while driving. “A lot of people are trying to hide it,” Sgt. Woodford said, referring to the ban. “Their eyes are off the road. Within three or four seconds, you’ve travelled across the length of a football field, and a lot can happen. Someone can cut in front of you. You slam on the brakes. Suddenly, you’re in the guard rail.” Read more http://www.theglobeandmail.com/glob...ing-menace-on-ontarios-roads/article14036779/
