Today is March 18, 2014.
Today the Toronto Metropolitan Police enact tougher fines concerning those idiots who believe it is okay to drive through the streets of Toronto, yapping on their cell phones or texting with them.
Yes for a couple of years already we have had a law on the books for such idiot drivers, but they have chosen to ignore it because the fine was a mere ( $130. 00 ) and the police seldom enforced it, unless the cop happened to be short on his quota of fines.
Even when cited, a citizen cared less because it didn’t effect their license or their insurance.
The new penalty/fine is totally different. Not only does the amount of the fine increase to ($280.00, but there is a 3 point demerit) which does effect the driver’s license and also can effect the driver’s insurance too.
Maybe just maybe if a driver loses his driving privileges for yapping or texting they will wake up to the importance. Maybe when their insurance goes through the roof they will wakeup to the danger. God forbid they cause an accident causing the maiming or death of someone.
Gabbing or texting on one’s cell phone while driving detracts not only from the driver’s attention to what’s going on in front of them on the road, it also detracts from a driver’s response time to a possible hazardous or dangerous situation. Such actions can also cause the driver to be responsible for a dangerous situation because the driver sometimes becomes more interested in what is being said in the conversation or what is being read or written in the text message.
This sort of distraction is just as dangerous as the drunk driver, or the driver who is high on drugs. As a matter of fact, today more accidents are caused by irresponsible drivers who gab or text on their cell phones while driving, than DUI drivers.
It is distracting enough to have irresponsible careless drivers weaving in and out of their lanes as one is driving. It is difficult enough if someone in your own vehicle, spouse or friend or relative, begins to argue with you while you are driving, you do not need to face the same thing as you try to balance a cell phone to your ear while driving too.
I am not saying that the use of a cell phone should be banned. I am saying that if you need to take a call or make a call, get off to the side of the road and stop, then it is safe to do one or the other. There is no call that is that important, not even an emergency situation that it cannot wait for you to pull off the road to take it. There is no call or text message that is worth risking your life or the life of another.
Road safety should be paramount in the mind of each and every driver while they are behind the wheel operating a 2,000 pound or more vehicle. Every ounce of one’s attention must be focused upon the road ahead and what your vehicle is doing. Nothing less than 100% attention is required while driving. Any less and you become a road hazard driving a dangerous deadly 2,000 pound projectile, that can kill or maim.