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7 Comments

news

Polling Booth: No Gabba Gabba

By Marc Lostracco

Effective Monday, October 26, it will be illegal to operate any handheld device while operating a vehicle in Ontario. Following years of studies demonstrating that holding a phone to your ear while driving shows a similar level of impairment as driving drunk [PDF], the province has banned any handheld electronic device that takes a driver’s attention away from the road: no dialling, no talking, and—we can’t believe we have to say this—no texting or emailing. And this should be obvious, but if you’re behind the wheel and need to call 911, call 911. Tickets won’t be issued during a three-month education period (though police can still lay charges if talking on your beloved BlackBerry leads to other violations), but after that, it’s handsfree or hands off. Recent evidence seems to show that even taking a call on a Bluetooth headset might pose a similar risk to holding a device, so expect to be entirely incommunicado on wheels some day.

Comments

  • http://undefined Nerfgun

    Of course the things that distract you (texting, dialing etc) are distracting and it makes sense to outlaw that…
    …but surely talking on a BT headset is on-par with talking to a passenger in the seat next to you, in terms of distraction level? Maybe even less so, since when conversing with a passenger, a driver tends to glance at them (or in the rear view mirror) every so often?

  • Pan Von Sol

    Pretty much this.
    Those BT-integrated car stereos are almost exactly like having a conversation with a passenger. Plus drivers still have their hands free to shift gears, hold a burger, smoke or flip off other drivers.

  • http://undefined Ben

    It’s not like it’s hard to stop if you get an important phone call. Just pull over, heft your bike onto the sidewalk, and talk away. Easy peasy.

  • http://undefined ked

    Headline win!

  • http://undefined TokyoTuds

    I voted “Handhelds no; handsfree yes”, but would not mind if there was a total ban. I usually pull over if the call will turn into a discussion. Apparently there is research, though, that says talking to a passenger is less dangerous than talking to a caller.

  • http://undefined uglyredhonda

    Everyone says it’s the same, but it categorically isn’t.
    A passenger talking inside the vehicle tends to adjust the conversation based on what’s happening ahead. If the driving conditions get rough, they may moderate or hold off on the conversation. They’ll also point out something to the driver if it appears the driver has missed it.
    Plus, the headset doesn’t resolve the worst part of using a cell in a car – dialing the number. I’ve almost been hit twice in recent weeks by people drifting out of their lanes while trying to dial their phone.
    I save most of my scorn for people who insist on holding their phone up to their ear while driving. But I wish people could just become emotionally capable of going without conversation for a little while.

  • http://undefined Gauldar

    I think it depends on the passenger too, you just have to gauge which ones are better off ignoring completely to focus on the road. Some people are more distracting then others.