It’s Official: Distracted Driving Is Just As Dangerous As Impaired Driving
The OPP is in the midst of their annual distracted driving campaign, and has released some very troubling statistics:
- 2015 was the third consecutive year that driver distraction as a causal factor exceeded all other categories of road deaths on OPP-patrolled roads
- 69 people died in road crashes in which driver distraction was a factor — compared to 61 speed-related, 51 seat belt-related and 45 alcohol/drug-related deaths (2015)
- Between 2013-2015, OPP officers laid approximately 20,000 distracted driving charges throughout the province, more than double the number of impaired driving charges they laid over the same three-year period.
Distracted driving is more than just texting or using a phone, though those are two of the major types. Distraction can also be caused by:
- Eating
- Grooming
- Tending to kids in back seat
- Improperly using a GPS unit
- Using held-held devices other than in hands-free mode
Penalties for distracted driving increased this past September. For more information on those fines, demerits, and criminal sentences, visit the Ministry of Transportation’s Distracted Driving website.