We get it. You don’t mean to hurt anyone. You’re a busy person and you need to keep in touch with the office, or maybe your mom is sick. How cool is it to take care of a few calls while you’re getting to work? It’s such a great use of your time.
Except using your handheld device while driving, or cellphone or any electronic entertainment device, is worse than driving when you are drunk. Here are just a few facts.
- High Cause of Death on the Roads – In 2016, 21% of fatal collisions and 27% of serious injuries were due to distracted driving. Not all distracted driving is due to handhelds, but most of it is.
- 32,000 Injuries – Killing someone is one thing, but the consequences of innocent victims of collisions due to distracted driving include debilitating injuries and brain trauma.
- You’re 800% More Likely to Be in a Crash – You are 8 times more likely to get into a traffic accident when you text and drive. (CAA)
- Victims of All Types & Ages – The victims of distracted driving include people out for an evening stroll, passengers in the distracted driver’s car, even children on their way to school.
Do It For Yourself
It took a while, but fines and other penalties for using handheld devices while driving and entertainment device convictions are finally starting to reflect the seriousness of the offence. While they may not yet be as severe as they are for impaired driving, most drivers don’t know the serious consequences of being convicted of distracted driving.
- First Offence: Fines of up to $1,000 and a 3-day license suspension
- Second Offence: Up to a $2,000 fine and a 7-day license suspension
- Third and Additional Offences: $3,000 fine and a 30-day licenses suspension
- Insurance Rate Increases: According to Rates.ca, the average increase to car insurance rates for a single distracted driving offence is 25%
The increased penalties make it crucial for you to put a team of lawyers, former police officers and legal professionals on your side to minimize the impact of distracted driving charges against you.
To learn more, check out our post “The True Cost Of Hiring A Traffic Ticket Lawyer”.
