The West Region OPP’s Stay Focused campaign is underway.
It’s aimed at inattentive drivers and runs from now until April 4th. (West region is the area covering Tobermory, south to Sarnia and east to Collingwood)
OPP will be out in force, with heightened enforcement of distracted driving laws on West Region roads and highways which includes Grey Bruce, where officers will be taking a zero-tolerance approach with offenders.
The goal is to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by inattentive driving.
OPP say, in 2024, 45 drivers died in the west region in crashes attributed to inattentive driving, compared to 15 deaths in 2023.
OPP say this represents a 200% increase in just one year.
Province wide 80 people died in collisions where inattentive driving was the primary contributing factor. That’s an increase of 40% over 2023, when 57 people died in crashes involving an inattentive driver.
The Ontario government says, while you are driving, including when you are stopped in traffic or at a red light, it is illegal to:
-use a phone or other hand-held wireless communication device to text or dial – you can only touch a device to call 911 in an emergency
-use a hand-held electronic entertainment device, such as a tablet or portable gaming console
-view display screens unrelated to driving, such as watching a video
-program a GPS device, except by voice commands
They say you are allowed to use hands-free wireless communications devices with an earpiece, lapel button or Bluetooth. You can view GPS display screens as long as they are built into your vehicle’s dashboard or securely mounted on the dashboard.
The provincial government says other actions such as eating, drinking, grooming, smoking, reading and reaching for objects are not part of Ontario’s distracted driving law. However, you can still be charged with careless or dangerous driving.
Police say penalties if you’re convicted of distracted driving are severe and fines for even a first offence start at $615 if you settle out of court, but can be as high as $1,000 if you fight the ticket and lose. By a third offence that’s increased to $3,000. Licence suspension can be applied in a first offence as well.
The OPP are encouraging people of all ages, especially passengers, to take a firm stand against those who endanger their lives and the lives of others by using their cell phones or engaging in other forms of distractions behind the wheel.