OMG! Recent statistics from the police and ICBC make it clear drivers are still not getting the message when it comes to distracted driving.
Distracted driving – mostly through the use of texts, tweets, GIFs and memes – now accounts for more crashes and accident-related injuries than impaired driving.
Perhaps that’s not surprising.
It’s taken a generation of police enforcement and social condemnation for drunk driving to be considered unacceptable.
But we’re far from unified when it comes to condemning cellphone use as an increasing number of drivers feel they have concentration to spare.
We don’t. Even a hands-free phone has a way of annexing mental capacity we need for things like suddenly slamming on the brakes.
ICYMI, technology is such a part of our lives that it’s hard to imagine a bus stop or public plaza where the majority of people aren’t standing with their heads bowed over their mobiles. The technology plugs into our brains to create a positive feedback loop. It’s hard for most of us to put it down even if we’ll BRB.
But as long as our phones are smarter than we are, maybe it’s time we started using technology to fight back, disabling our phones while driving and creating automatic messages that warn potential callers and text mates when a driver is AFK.
Fines have helped. But if authorities really want to crack down, how about impounding a guilty driver’s cellphone for a few days or a month?
Most people would find little to LOL about in that. And it might help one more driver from ending up DOA.
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