TORONTO – An Ontario traffic safety coalition wants drivers to ditch their phones, forget the makeup and leave that double-double alone.
The Ministry of Transportation, Ontario Provincial Police and the Canadian Automobile Association are teaming up to crack down on distracted driving in a four-week campaign that launches this weekend.
Research shows drivers who text behind the wheel are 23 times more likely to get into a crash, while those who talk on the phone are five times more likely to crash.
OPP highway safety chief Supt. Don Bell says they’ll concentrate on people who use hand-held devices when driving.
He says the OPP named distracted driving as the fourth major cause of death or serious injury on the road in 2001.
In 2011 there were more than 7,500 collisions involving distracted driving on OPP-patrolled roads, which left 56 dead and more than 1,000 injured.
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