Regulations that govern cellphone use while driving have been passed in all provinces of Canada. However, the question remains: Are these cellphone bans actually working to save the lives of Canadian drivers and passengers?
According to recently completed studies, cellphone bans are not actually working to make Canadian roads safer. Indeed, the studies have not indicated any decrease in collision statistics. No matter what province a driver is in, distracted driving laws will apply to him or her, and all of those laws have stipulations limiting the use of hand-held devices. Although, accident statistics have declined since cellphone bans have been implemented, the declines are not very significant. Indeed, national statistics show that the number of daily car accident incidents has only declined from 66.7 to 65.2 per day.
A university professor who was commenting on the results of these studies said that drivers who regularly spend time talking on their telephones are actually more prone to getting into a car accident — even when those drivers are not actually using their phones. The professor said that one of the problems is the fact that some people are following the laws and some people are not. Those who follow the cellphone bans are probably already safe drivers because they follow other driving laws, whereas the drivers who do not follow cellphone bans are probably breaking other driving laws too.
The fact of the matter is, if a driver in Canada causes a fatal or injurious car accident as a result of not following traffic laws — whether it was a speeding violation or a cellphone related violation — he or she can be held liable for the damages caused in that accident. Those who suffer injury may be able to pursue personal injury claims to recoup the cost of their medical care. Also, family members of individuals who die may be able to seek money to pay for end of life expense, pain and suffering, lost family income and other damages.
Source: 570news.com, "No decrease in collisions despite cell phone ban, study suggests" April Anderson, Aug. 04, 2014
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