They say a picture is worth a Thousand Words…
KEY MESSAGES
- Even short glances away from the road increases your risk of crashing. Leave your phone alone while driving.
- Almost all drivers (95 per cent) believe texting while driving is risky, yet 38 per cent admit they still use their phone at least one out of every 10 trips.
- Police across the province are cracking down on distracted drivers this month.
TIPS FOR DRIVERS
- Make sure you have everything you need before hitting the road. Reaching for objects on the floor, in the glove box, or the back seat takes your eyes off the road and could lead to a crash.
- If you find it difficult to leave your phone alone while driving, turn it to silent and keep it out of reach and out of sight. Turn on “Do Not Disturb While Driving” features that will send automatic replies to incoming texts and route incoming calls to voicemail.
- Even when stopped at a light or in heavy traffic, you’re still driving, and need to be aware of what’s going on around you. You’re less likely to see pedestrians and cyclists when you’re looking at your phone or in-dash screens.
STATISTICS
- Distracted and inattentive driving is responsible for more than one quarter (27 per cent) of all car crash fatalities in B.C.
- Distracted and inattentive driving is the second leading contributing factor in car crash fatalities in B.C., and on average results in 78 deaths each year.
Regional statistics*:
- Every year, on average, 25 people are killed in distracted driving-related crashes in the Lower Mainland.
- Every year, on average, 10 people are killed in distracted driving-related crashes on Vancouver Island.
- Every year, on average, 31 people are killed in distracted driving-related crashes in the Southern Interior.
- Every year, on average, 13 people are killed in distracted driving-related crashes in the North Central region.
*Police data from 2015 to 2019. Distraction: where one or more of the vehicles involved had contributing factors including use of communication/video equipment, driver inattentive and driver internal/external distraction.
Show your support
You can help make our streets and communities safer by encouraging others to leave the phone alone behind the wheel. Get a distracted driving sticker and show your support. They are available at participating ICBC Driver Licensing and Autoplan broker offices.
You can also place a bulk order for distracted driving stickers to share in your community.
