Keep eyes on the road

Just in case there is any confusion, the definition of a distraction is something that takes your attention away from something on which you should be focused.

This might come as somewhat of a surprise for many people who get behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle and treat driving as an opportunity for multi-tasking.

There is a big difference in attempting to juggle a few tasks from an office desk or living room couch than doing so while navigating a large hunk of metal at high speeds along a road while other vehicles and pedestrians share the general area.

However, as anyone knows who has been on the road in a vehicle or travelled in the area on foot, an epidemic of distracted driving is putting everyone in danger.

Halifax RCMP Cpl. Dan Hutchinson likens distracted driving to impaired driving because the driver’s judgment is compromised when they are not focused on the road.

In a recent release, he said distracted driving is anything that takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel or your eyes off the task.

These days it is usually our fixation on our phones that leads so many to drive while distracted. The RCMP report that in 2016, distracted driving contributed to more than 140 serious and fatal collisions in Nova Scotia.

RCMP in Nova Scotia issued more than 1,700 tickets for using a cellphone while driving. The fine for using a phone or texting while operating a vehicle is $237.50. Fines for second and third offences are $352.50 and $582.50 respectively.

The Canadian Automobile Association relays some startling statistics about distracted driving.

Drivers who text are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near crash. Checking a text for five seconds means that at 90 kmh, you've travelled the length of a football field blindfolded. About 26 per cent of all car crashes involve phone use, including hands-free phone use.

It’s not complicated for Cpl. Hutchinson: “Distracted driving — like any type of impaired driving — is a poor choice. By driving distracted, you’re valuing whatever you're doing over your safety and the safety of others.”

Drivers who use handheld devices are four times more likely to get into serious crashes, so RCMP and Halifax Regional Police say motorists should limit temptation by placing cellphones out of reach before taking off.

It’s time we all took distracted driving more seriously and take responsibility in helping changing attitudes on distracted driving. It is not OK to text and drive.

—Halifax Chronicle Herald

Texting compared to impaired driving