TORONTO – Phones and other mobile devices are becoming universal, and Canadians aren’t spending any less time in their cars. In recent years, governments have taken a harder line on forcing drivers to unplug their attention from their communications widgets and put it back on the road.
Where do Ontario’s distracted drivers live? View our interactive map.
Global News takes a look at distracted driving laws across the country:
British Columbia:
53,000 British Columbia drivers were convicted of texting or using cell phones in a recent 15-month period. We looked at the situation in B.C. in July. Click here to learn more.
Alberta:
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Alberta was the last province to bring in a distracted driving law. It took effect at the beginning of September and forbids hand-held electronic devices as well as “laptop computers, video games, cameras, video entertainment displays, writing, printing or sketching and personal grooming”.
Saskatchewan:
Saskatchewan’s law bans drivers from texting and using hand-held cell phones. It took effect Jan. 1, 2010. Up to July of this year, 3,484 Saskatchewan drivers have been convicted of related offences.
Manitoba:
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Manitoba’s law, which took effect in July 2010, bans drivers from texting and using hand-held cell phones.
Ontario:
Ontario bans drivers from texting, using hand-held cell phones, or having a video screen visible to the driver. Almost 30,000 Ontario drivers were convicted in a recent 12-month period.
Quebec:
Quebec police started writing tickets for texting and using hand-held cell phones in July of 2008.
New Brunswick:
New Brunswick’s law, Canada’s second-last, took effect in June of this year.
PEI:
PEI’s ban on texting and using hand-held cell phones took effect in January 2010.
Nova Scotia:
Nova Scotia’s ban on hand-held mobile devices has been in place since mid-2008. “Conversations can be a source of distraction too,” a government pamphlet advises, “so pull over if a long discussion is required or the topic is stressful.”
Newfoundland:
Newfoundland was the first province to ban using hand-held cell phones while driving, in 2002.
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