The issue of distracted driving is increasing in Cochrane, according to Const. Clayton Gelinas, an officer with the Cochrane RCMP detachment.
While Gelinas said no statistics are available regarding the issue, the increased prevalence of devices available to distract people has resulted in a notable increase in distracted driving in recent years.
“I can speak to the fact it’s always a priority for us, and as we get more ‘connected,’ it becomes more of an issue," he said.
As distracted driving continues to rise in Cochrane, the issue is on the rise nationally, as well. According to Robyn Robertson, president and chief executive officer of the Traffic Research and Injury Foundation, distracted driving is a contributing factor in nearly one quarter of all fatal vehicle collisions in Canada.
She said distracted driving plays a part in more than 300 deaths, annually.
“On one hand, people report a high level of concern about distracted driving, and on the other hand, a large percentage of drivers self-report engaging in distracted driving behaviours, so the problem is pretty prevalent,” Robertson said. “Some distracted behaviours are things we’ve done in our car for a very long time, so we may not intuitively recognize them as being distracting. People perceive they’re safer, for various reasons, and they’re often not aware that just a second they’re doing this or that is often more than just a second.”
She said understanding why drivers distract themselves, and working to motivate behavioural changes, will help reduce these numbers and keep drivers focused on the road.
One positive change, she added, would be for companies that employ drivers to adopt distracted driving policies as part of their workplace safety programs.
“Penalties and sanctions play an important role in shaping behaviour and defining what’s acceptable and what’s not, but I also think we need a high level of enforcement to field the deterrent effect of those penalties,” she said. “I think it’s very resource-intensive for law enforcement to sustain the level of enforcement needed to make those laws effective, so I think we need to invest more time and energy into education, generally.”
The penalty for distracted driving in Alberta is among the lowest in the country – a $287 ticket and three demerit points, if ultimately convicted.
Gelinas said the current repercussion is enough for most motorists to be deterred from driving distracted.
“I know if I got a $287 ticket, I’d certainly be second-guessing [using my phone] the next time I drove," he said.
At the local level, Gelinas recommends being creative when coming up with ways to prevent distracted driving – like putting your cell phone in the glove compartment or in a bag on the back seat, installing Bluetooth or hands-free software, pulling over safely to take a call or downloading ‘do not disturb’ apps to stop notifications, alerts and sounds on your phone when the vehicle is in motion.
"Really, it’s about having it in the back of your mind that distracted driving is very dangerous," he said. "When you take your eyes off the road for anything, it’s not good.
“Just don’t do it. As much as you may want to, you just shouldn’t. it’s very dangerous, and can lead to life-changing incidents.”
