Ontario, Canada: Possible new law to ban 'electronic distractions'

[philipa_240sx]

From the Canadian Press:

Quote » Ontario planning to ban 'electronic distractions' in cars: reports

25/10/2008 12:21:00 AMTHE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO - Media reports say Ontario will join Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Quebec in banning cellphone use while driving.

There are several media reports that the Liberal government will introduce a bill to ban electronic distractions next Tuesday.

The reports say Transport Minister Jim Bradley will be seeking to prohibit all use of phones, BlackBerrys and GPS devices by drivers in the province.

The reports say the law will likely only apply to those behind the wheel and not passengers in the front or back seat.

Previous attempts to introduce private member's bills banning cellphones have failed.[/quote]If the new legislation makes it to law, Ontario will be the first jurisdiction in Canada to ban the use of many electronic devices, not just cell phones by drivers. Currently Quebec, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia have cell phone only bans.

As with most of these 'bans' handsfree devices are usually exempt, but there is much debate that using a handsfree device actually eliminates the risks. The other thorny issue is enforcement. A police officer would presumably have to catch you in the act of using the device. More details of the legislation should be available as soon at is introduced, possibly on October 28.

On a side note, Ontario has always had a blanket law called 'Careless Driving' which covers pretty much any form of driving which may endanger the public. It has been stated before that this could be used to enforce a cell phone ban without introducing additional laws. To date it has not been used in that manner.

[Goblin]

Good! My first rear end collision was this past summer on the QEW. Did I mention the girl was talking on her cell phone. I'm for banning the cell phone period. NOT just while driving. UGH!

An incidental note here. My second rear end collision this past week was some 70+ year old guy in VA. So I'm also for banning old people from driving. UGH!

LOL. I crack myself up!

[Roguemeister]

I saw on TV news that they are making cell phones that will automatically "shut down" when inside a vehicle and the speed of 5mph (8kph) is reached (by GPS in phone). Once it goes into "shut down" mode you cannot make a call and people phoning you will receive a message "sorry the person is currently driving.... leave a message."

Not sure how that would work if you were a passenger though....

[desiguy]

They will be doing the same thing in Manitoba in the coming months

[eric_c]

Good old Ban-it-all McGuinty.

Not that I oppose this law, but it often seems that we concentrate on the wrong things when it comes to vehicle safety (like speeding). What is the % of accidents that are directly linked to people talking on their cell phones? There's lots of anecdotal evidence, but is this really that big of a problem that it deserves a ban? In my opinion, tailgating is a much more serious and widespread issue, yet there appears to be little enforcement. Likewise, when I have to make a hard stop in the dead of winter, I'm always praying the person behind me has snow tires on.

This is very similar to the pit-bull ban McGuinty passed a few years ago. From the papers, you'd think pit-bulls were running rampant in the streets mauling hundreds of people a day, so we ban the "breed". Yet, the reality is you're probably more likely to get randomly shot in Toronto than attacked by a dog. It looks good on paper.

[philipa_240sx]

Good old Ban-it-all McGuinty.

Agreed! For those that don't know, McGuinty refers to the current Premier of Ontario... Dalton McGuinty. For our American friends, that's akin to a state governor.

[eric_c]

As an aside, I just bought a Blueant Supertooth 3 in anticipation of this law. I also drive on the Quebec side of the border every weekend, where a similar law is already in effect.

Its basically a bluetooth mike/speaker that you attach to your visor, like a big garage door opener. It got some good reviews and has some nice features, like a vibration sensor that detects when the car is moving to automatically power itself on or off. Haven't actually used it yet, FedEx just dropped it off 5 mins ago. I'll post my thoughts on it once I use it.

I fiddled a bluetooth earpiece and frankly, its not for me. Short of having the thing in my ear all the time, I think I am more distracted trying to shove the thing in my ear and answer the call in time then just answering the damn phone. This seemed like a better solution (for those of us without the technology package, at least). Not too expensive either. I got mine for $120 CDN.

http://www.myblueant.com/s3_handsfree.htm

[philipa_240sx]

I use a Jabra bluetooth headset. But the wife hates those in ear things.

Thanks for the good find, I just ordered a Blueant Supertooth for the wife... for XMAS.

[neovision1981]

If the government wishes to enforce this legislation, all they need to do is park several police cars in the corners of Kennedy and Steeles in Scarborough. 90% of the drivers of a certain ethnic background driving through there will be a) on their cell, b) fixing their makeup, c) goofing around with their GPS or d) all of the above... The fines alone in one day should make our province very rich...

I use an in car GPS and my cell phone. I don't touch the gps when I'm driving, this should be all done BEFORE a car is put in motion. The GPS even comes with a warning to NOT OPERATE it when the vehicle is in motion. As for the cell, it's hooked up to an old school Motorola H500 headset so I don't have to bother touching the phone. But IMHO the phone isn't the distraction that can lead to the accidents, it's the conversations that take place on the phone...

But realistically speaking how are they going to enforce this law on moving vehicles? A Police Officer sitting on the side of the road trying to look into a vehicle in motion and he/she has less than a few seconds to try to identify what a certain driver is or is not doing... doesn't seem very practical to me... but that's Mcguinty I guess...

[philipa_240sx]

The 'Countering Distracted Driving and Promoting Green Transportation Act' was introduced in the Ontario Legislature. Here are the basics:

- You cannot operate a motor vehicle on a highway with a video screen in view of the driver. Dedicated GPS systems, logistical tracking systems, collision avoidance systems, and 'digital gauges' are excluded. Emergency service vehicles are excluded from this regulation.

- You cannot drive a motor vehicle on a highway while holding or using a handheld wireless device capable of receiving/sending telephone, text, data, or e-mail.

- You cannot drive a motor vehicle on a highway while holding or using a handheld personal entertainment device. ie. MP3 players

- Handfree devices are allowed so long as you are not holding the device (phone, PDA, MP3 player).

- Despite the regulations above, you can use your phone at any time to contact emergency services.

A motor vehicle includes a street car (car, truck ,van, SUV, etc), snowmobile, farm tractor, and construction equipment.

A highway is any public road.

The entire proposed legislation can be found on the website of the Ontario Legislature:

http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bil...=2099

The bill has only passed first reading, it has not become law yet.

[philipa_240sx]

Update:

The bill has been referred to committee. This means it will be debated further with input from the gov't and public.

So far, no law yet...

[philipa_240sx]

The bill has passed third and final reading in the Ontario Legislature. The Ontario Government has stated the law will come into full effect this fall.

The bill basically stayed in tact from my previous post. A couple of additions were made:

- The screen of a handheld wireless communications device (cell phones) is now permitted to be in view of the driver.- Handfree devices are permitted. The section on 'not holding the device' while using the hands free has been eliminated.