Province shoots down taking phones from distracted drivers
Posted March 11, 2013 5:53 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – Distracted drivers won’t have to worry about getting their cell phones taken away anytime soon.
The province isn’t supporting the controversial idea from The BC Chiefs of Police Association to seize phones of people who get caught using them while behind the wheel.
After seeing 5,500 tickets handed out to distracted drivers during last month’s crackdown, the head of the association suggested confiscating electronic devices from distracted drivers.
BC’s Justice Minister Shirley Bond doesn’t think that’s a good solution for now. “I’m certainly not considering the seizure of cell phones. I am concerned though that we continue to see distracted driving as a major issue in our province. It’s not unlike seatbelts, it took a long time for people in our province to make that a normal habit.”
“I am concerned about the privacy issues regarding cell phones and taking those away and also the pragmatic way of managing a program like that,” says Bond.
The association is willing to explore higher fees, but Bond is also shooting down that proposal.
“[When it comes to] our fines, we can legislate just about anything but at the end of the day, much of this comes down to personal responsibility and recognizing there’s a role for each one of us to play in making the right decisions. I’m reluctant to talk about more fines and seizing cell phones until we sort out how we’re actually going to know what does change behaviour in our province,” she adds.
She’s hoping to meet with the association to hear other ways to curb the problem.
