Ontario’s new driving laws took effect on Jan. 1, 2019.
The province decided to make these changes as part of its ongoing
effort to enhance the safety of our roads, ensuring drivers take
better care when behind the wheel. Keep in mind that deaths from
collisions caused by distracted driving have doubled in Ontario
since 2000. Data
from 2013 has found that one person is injured in a
distracted-driving collision every half hour and a driver using a
phone is four times more likely to crash than one who is not
distracted.
So, what exactly constitutes distracted driving? Considered to
be a form of impaired driving, anything a driver does that pulls
his or her attention away from the road is distracted driving. That
broad definition includes the following activities: talking and
texting on a cell phone, reading (a map, a newspaper etc.), using a
GPS, adjusting the radio, eating or drinking, personal grooming and
even playing extremely loud music.
