[hugh]

ICBC, the insurance Corporation of British Columbia which provides basic and optional vehicle insurance in the province, has published a top ten list of excuses that police heard from drivers who were caught using a hand-held device while driving in September.

The following is the ICBC's list of top ten excuses that police heard from drivers who were caught using a hand-held device while driving along with ICBC response to each excuse.

 

[hugh]

1. This is a bogus law. This is the attitude that needs to change. Distracted driving can have serious and often tragic consequences. In B.C., about 25 per cent of all deaths in fatal crashes are related to distracted driving. These deaths are preventable, which is why this law was brought in and why police are out there enforcing it – to help make our roads safer.
2. It was my boss on the phone – I had to answer it. In B.C., crashes are the number-one cause of traumatic work-related deaths, according to WorkSafeBC statistics. On average, approximately 30 workers in B.C. are killed each year while driving. Your boss should be relieved that you were not only obeying the law, but reducing the risk of injuring or killing yourself and others while on the job.
3. I wasn’t using it – I just like to hold it. Some even use the excuse that they were holding their garage door opener or hairbrush. The reality is that driving is a complex task that requires our full attention. Anything – whether it is a garage door opener or a hairbrush – that takes your attention from the road is a distraction and can impact your ability to react to the unexpected.
4. Sorry officer, I didn’t see you trying to pull me over because I was on my phone. If you don’t notice a police car trying to pull you over, how would you notice nearby pedestrians and cyclists? Studies show that drivers who are talking on a cellphone lose about 50 per cent of what is going on around them, visually, while driving and are four times more likely to get in a crash. No call or text message is worth putting yourself and others at risk – let your calls go to voicemail and you don’t need to respond to text messages right away, or better yet, turn the cellphone off to avoid the temptation.
5. But it was an emergency call to my wedding planner! A real emergency would be if your vehicle flipped over in a ditch because you were distracted at the wheel by your phone. While the law exempts drivers needing to call 9-1-1 to reach the police, fire department or ambulance service about an emergency, it does not apply to personal situations – it has to be a real emergency situation.
6. My Bluetooth died. If your Bluetooth dies, pull over, change your voicemail to let callers know you’re on the road and you’ll return their call when it’s safe to do so. Enjoy your drive and let voicemail to do its job. Help create a culture where people don’t expect you to pick up the phone right away and don’t call others when you know they are behind the wheel.
7. Driver: I’m using my speakerphone. Police officer: No, you’re holding your phone in one hand and steering with the other. Hands-free doesn’t equal speakerphone. If you must take a call, use a hands-free electronic device and keep the conversation brief. Remember – a hands-free electronic device must be securely fixed to the vehicle or worn properly on the body (ear piece).
8. I’m not driving; I was stopped at a red light. This misconception needs to end right now: the law applies even when you’re stopped at a light or in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
9. I wasn’t talking, I was checking my messages. Under the law, drivers can’t use hand-held electronics while driving – that includes checking voice mail, making music selections or looking up phone numbers. Let calls go to voicemail and call back later when it's safe to do so. Better yet, turn off your cellphone and put it in the trunk or back seat to avoid the temptation.
10. I was just checking the time. There are no excuses for preventable tragedies. Imagine saying this to the emergency personnel and loved ones of someone seriously injured because of your carelessness.

 

[JimBrown]

I'd rather that any type of phone conversation, hands free or not, is banned. It's not holding the phone that is dangerous. It is the conversation. It is a distraction. Any distraction while driving is dangerous. Phone conversations are up there as the worst kind of distraction, as it is prolonged, and requires concentration that is taken away from the task of driving.

Search for "Is hands free driving safer?" for more information.

...jim

 

[Classof83]

Yes, texting while driving is horribly bad, and so is talking on the phone. But what about singing along to the radio? Where does it end basically?

 

[MarcP]

You typically have both hands available when singing along. But if you want to go into hyperboles...

 

[Angelfish]

yes but then are we gonna be prevented from taliking to anyone in the car?

 

[hugh]

But if you want to go into hyperboles...

Thank-you for saying what I wanted to but in a much better manner.

 

[BGY11]

yes but then are we gonna be prevented from taliking to anyone in the car?

No you wouldn't, because people in the car would also typically be aware of what's happening on the road, and can be quiet when a tough driving situation occurs.

 

[billpaidJr]

I see it all the time... young girls and boys who barely just learnt to drive all of a sudden can both master the road and check their cellphones at the same time. Plenty of times you can notice who is on the phone on the highway...they are the slow ones on the 401 swerving slowly in and out of the lane as if they are drunk.

Countless times you are behind a driver at a red light who is constanly looking down at the phone and they always seem to miss the light turning green or the advance signal to turn...those always get a nice little honk from me . But they then get peeved because they feel they had the right to take all the time they needed to check the messages.

One time I pulled up along one great driving lady who managed to text with both her hands INSIDE the steering wheel as she zoomed along the road...quite the feat....she was able to keep half her attention on the road and the other half on the texting... awesome multi-tasker.

 

[01 Boxer]

It's ironic that car manufacturers are making cars safer with traction control, ABS, lane departure warnings, blind spot detection while drivers are compensating by not looking at the road half the time. It's a competition between automakers to produce idiot-proof systems and the Universe to produce bigger idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.