Cellular Phones and Motorists
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When driving a vehicle, road
safety is your first responsibility!
It is important to focus on driving and to reduce
driver distractions.
Driver distraction is a major cause of
collisions
Using either a hand-held or hands-free cell phone
while driving makes it four times more likely that
you will be involved in a collision.
In fact, using a cell phone |
affects what a
driver sees, reduces reaction time and changes the way drivers
react — especially in heavy traffic. Driving for work and using
a phone? Motor vehicle collisions are the greatest single cause
of traumatic workplace deaths in Ontario.
Drivers should
avoid using their cell phone while driving except in an
emergency. Police can charge drivers with careless driving if
they do not pay full attention to the driving task. A driver
convicted of careless driving will receive six demerit points,
fines of up to $1,000 and/or a jail term of six months. In some
cases, the driver's licence may be suspended for up to two
years. This is one of Ontario's toughest rules of the
road.
Remember, smart
drivers just drive! In three seconds driving sixty kilometres
per hour you travel fifty metres — that's the distance across
half a football field. A momentary distraction can result in
death or serious injury.
The following
are some tips to help reduce driver distraction:
- Plan for safe locations to stop (for example, rest stops or
commuter lots) to make and receive calls
- Before you
start driving turn off your cellular phone.
- Allow calls to
go to voice mail or allow a passenger to make and receive
calls.
- Consider
recording an outgoing voice message that lets callers know you
are on the road.
In Emergencies:
Having a cellular phone in your vehicle can be an important
safety aid for drivers and passengers — whether for personal
safety or for reporting a crime or a collision. If you must use
your cell phone in an emergency — a situation that could result
in a danger to your safety or the safety of others if it is not
corrected without delay — consider the following
tips:
- Pull over
safely if conditions allow.
- Keep emergency calls as brief as possible.
- Alert the caller that you are on the road.
- End conversations immediately if driving conditions or
situations become hazardous (for example, inclement weather,
roadway construction, high-speed or high-volume traffic).
Other considerations:
Be alert to situations on the road where a cell phone's radio
frequency and electronics may be potentially harmful such as:
construction zones where blasting is occurring, or at gas
stations/fuelling areas.
Remember, focus on the task of driving, with your hands on the
wheel and eyes on
the road. Reduce the distractions that may cause you to
overreact or respond too slowly to a situation.
Source :
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/topics/cellular.shtml
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