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YOU CANT TOUCH THAT.................................................14 people over 8 years , gov claims 80 a year.....not the same..
January 30, 2018B.C. lawyer says number of driving fatalities due to electronic devices is ‘exaggerated’
Are governments, ICBC and even the police exaggerating the dangers of distracted driving? A Richmond company says its freedom-of-information request has revealed far fewer deaths due to drivers using cellphones than officials claim. Ted Chernecki reports
-A A +A Richmond lawyer says ICBC and the province are greatly exaggerating the number of deaths caused by using an electronic device behind the wheel.
According to Paul Doroshenko, BC Coroners stats show that 14 people died from using an electronic device while driving between 2008 and 2016. This after ICBC said last year that 80 people a year were dying from distracted driving.
“They lump in people who are staring at their radio, or just drift off not thinking, maybe people who fall asleep, with people with cellphone violations,” said Doroshenko.
“Clearly, cellphone violations aren’t the threat they are made out to be.”
READ MORE: B.C. to impose big penalties for distracted driving
Doroshenko said he’s not suggesting that using a device while driving isn’t dangerous, but the problem is that those people aren’t the ones being stopped.
“They justify these enforcement actions where they hand out tickets like crazy to people who look at their cellphone at an intersection when they hear it beep and they’re worried about their kid at school or something — those people get a ticket.”
He said giving tickets to people who are just sitting at a light won’t help make roads safer, noting the fines exceed the risk.
In a written response to Doroshenko’s numbers, Joanna Linsangan with ICBC said the focus on smartphone safety is because they are the most common driver distraction.
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One difference is that when you're talking to someone in your passenger seat, they can see and are fully aware of your situation. If you pause to make a left turn, they are aware of that and understand why you're pausing in the conversation. A person on the phone might not understand that as they aren't aware of your exact situation, and as the speaker, you are subconsciously aware of that and so are less willing to pause in order to focus on a more involved driving maneuver.
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@-AJ- I guess its harder for some people , I drove snow plow for 23 winters ,you've got 3 jog sticks front plow underbody and wing blade as well as the sander switch and a radio phone ,all the while looking in your mirror at the sand application width ,pulling up the wing when barriers are present, so I'm not totally buying what your saying ,if someone is that easily distracted whether its a voice on a phone or a passenger, their going to be in an accident anyway and NO prohibitive LAW IS GOING TO STOP IT FROM HAPPINING.
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getting back to my post about authority's ability to SUSPECT distraction whether a window or stereo ,whatever .I ll quote my father who told me ,back around the 2 ww something like this back then, would be deemed communism. police work isn't about common sense anymore ,its a business its not to serve and protect any more ... it should be.. 'our business is making sure your business is our business too, excuse us as we reach into your wallet'.
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