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BC considers higher fines for distracted driving as Ontario gets tough

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Earlier this week, the provincial government in Ontario announced a major crackdown on distracted drivers that cause death or serious harms with proposed fines that could go as high as $50,000 — the highest in the country if approved. The fines would be cumulative and the government is also threatening up to two years in jail and the possibility of someone losing their license for up to five years.

BC lags behind many other provinces when it comes to handing out stiffer fines and only after a few years of the legislation being implemented did the former Liberal government increase the penalties. Last summer, Victoria raised fines saying those caught with a phone in their hand while behind the wheel now have to pay a minimum of $543. That’s the sum of an initial $368 fine (an increase from the previous fine of $167) and the $175 cost to pay off points against the licence.

Each offence will come with four penalty points, up from the existing three. With a minimum ICBC Driver Penalty Point premium of $520, a second offence within one year will cost $888. A fifth offence will cost $3,760 and a 10th runs $14,520.

So, now that Ontario is taking action — could BC be next?

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says he’s eager to see what happens back East and he’s already considering taking action here. “I’m particularly interested to see what is in the Ontario legislation and how it would work. Are there other avenues as well that the province might consider.”

He adds it’s critical drivers get the message to put their phone down. “We’ve made it clear, in the measures we’ve taken, that distracted driving is an issue and certainly distracted driving causing death clearly deserves to be treated at a different level than say, a regular traffic infraction.”

Farnworth isn’t saying yet how far he’s willing to go, but he confirms to NEWS 1130 higher penalties are on the table. “It’s a pretty significant fine and that’s why I say we want to look at the legislation in its entirety and see how it works in Ontario. We’ll be looking very closely at their legislation and the impact it has.”

The law was brought into effect on January 1st, 2010 but people still don’t get the message. “It’s extremely frustrating that drivers don’t get the message. People have got the message by in large about drinking and driving, yet for some reason they seem to think that phone call or that text is far more important than the safety of other drivers or pedestrians or cyclists or even the passengers in their own vehicles. With distracted driving causing more fatalities than alcohol-related traffic fatalities, it’s extremely frustrating.”

To be clear, there is no specific distracted driving law in BC that only prohibits the use of a cellphone, a misconception by some people. The law prohibits the use of any hand-held electronic device and you can also be ticketed if you’re doing something that neglects you from controlling your car in a safe manner. It is illegal to check your phone or fiddle with something that’s distracting at a red light.

Farnworth’s comments come as Vancouver Police issued a ticket to a tourist using his phone twice just six blocks apart on Granville Street. “If people are that stupid then they deserve the financial penalty they get and this is a classic example of someone having more money than brains, and they have been hit in the pocketbook.”

The driver was handed a fine of $736 and was handed eight demerit points.

Last year, more than 43,000 distracted drivers were pulled over in BC, according to statistics from ICBC.

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