Distracted driving claims jump in Alberta
Claims for accidents in which distracted driving was a factor jumped by 58 per cent in Alberta in the past two years, the biggest increase in the country, says a major insurer.
That compares to a national increase of 23 per cent and a jump in Ontario of 12 per cent, according to Aviva Canada
At the same time in Alberta, the total number of distracted driving convictions fell to 24,665 last year from 27,281 in 2016.
Aviva Canada said their claims figures recorded in years ending March 31 climbed even amid increasing penalties meant to discourage the activity, which is dominated by the use of cellphones in vehicles.
“Despite increased penalties and awareness on this issue, too many Canadians are still driving distracted behind the wheel,” said Phil Gibson, the company’s chief underwriting officer.
“The majority of these accidents are preventable.”
Gibson was at a loss to explain why Alberta leads the dubious pack, noting the next-closest province was Quebec with an increase of 34 per cent.
“We’re as perplexed as anyone,” he said.
“Maybe it’s the long stretches of open road and you’re looking at your phone.”
He also said it could be attributable to Alberta’s younger driving population that’s more prone to use devices while driving and be distracted by them.
That worsening Alberta habit is hitting motorists in the province in the pocketbook through higher premiums, said Gibson.
“Aside from the human tragedy, you’ll pay more because your fellow Albertans are crashing more,” he said, adding the bulk of his company’s road accident claims are due to distracted driving.
On Jan. 1, 2016, Alberta hiked its distracted driving penalties to a $287 fine from $172 and to three demerit points from zero.
There’s no question those figures reflect a problem that’s not improving, said Sgt. Dale Seddon of the Calgary Police Service traffic section, who’s equally baffled at Alberta’s national standing. “It’s still an epidemic,” he said. “People really are attached to their phones — when a notification goes off, they feel compelled to answer or respond right away.”
The number of tickets handed out for the offence in Calgary has gone down recently, to about 6,200 last year from 7,100 in 2016.
But that doesn’t necessarily translate into more effective enforcement or improved driver behaviour, said Seddon.
And he said it’s clear stiffer penalties alone aren’t a silver bullet.
“There are pieces to the solution … any one thing won’t have success,” said Seddon, adding education and social attitudes are other parts of the puzzle.
While police in some jurisdictions have become increasingly aggressive in enforcement — some going as far as deploying officers on city buses to look into vehicles of adjacent motorists — Seddon said Calgary cops have no immediate plans to go down that route.
“That could change if we determine what we’re doing isn’t working,” he said, while noting Calgary police do use officers in unmarked vehicles to ticket preoccupied drivers.