Merits of Demerits

Winter is over… finally.

That is sure to ramp up how many, and how long, vehicles take to the roads, their operators looking forward to warmth and leaving all thoughts of “polar vortex” in their rear-view mirrors.

But with all the hope and promise that spring delivers comes the real-life concern that continues to gain traction: distracted driving.

There is no shortage of cautions about distracted driving’s potential impact on road safety and the influence of related collisions on insurance. Still, it is difficult to see progress.

Perhaps, this has to do with being able to recognize bad, potentially dangerous behaviour in others far easier than in oneself.

Consider the findings of a recent survey of 1,436 drivers, conducted by Leger Marketing on behalf of RSA. In all, 63% of respondents reported seeing other drivers applying make-up; 66% saw drivers driving with pets on their laps; 24% saw drivers make out; 40% saw drivers screaming at passengers; and 61% saw drivers distracted with their radios or GPSs.

In each and every case, respondents reported they themselves were involved in the aforementioned distracting behaviours less than other drivers they had seen.

“That tells us that despite the recent emphasis on preventing distracted driving, including increased fines and demerit points, Ontario drivers still aren’t getting the message,” says Alex Walker, director of claims relations with RSA Insurance.

In Ontario, for example, fines were recently raised for those apparently unable to stop talking, texting, dialling or e-mailing using hand-held devices while behind the wheel. The amendments also called for police being able to assign three demerit points upon conviction of a distracted driving offence.

The penalty for using a hand-held electronic device while driving in Manitoba, is a $200 ticket, plus two demerits; in British Columbia, it is a $167 fine and three penalty points; and in Saskatchewan, the fine is $280 and four demerits.

That may be where prevention gets the biggest bang for the buck – fines, however irksome, can be absorbed with not much effort at all; points that contribute to the possibility that driving privileges will be curtailed or worse will command considerably more notice.

Young drivers are often the focus of distracted driving awareness efforts, being less experienced, more likely to take risks and tending to be more easily distracted by passengers and electronic devices, notes the Insurance Corporation of B.C., which recently reported distracted driving is now the second leading cause of motor vehicle fatalities on provincial highways, and a top factor in youth crashes.

Clearly, though, the effects of distracted driving are just as negative regardless of age or cause of the distraction.

South of the border, the National Safety Council (NSC) reported in April that more than 30 studies show hands-free devices are no safer than hand-held devices as the brain remains distracted by the cellphone conversation. “The problem is the brain does not truly multi-task. Just like you can’t read a book and talk on the phone, you can’t safely operate a vehicle and talk on the phone,” says David Teater, the council’s senior director of transportation initiatives.

Equipping vehicle dashboards with infotainment systems to make hands-free calls, send text messages, e-mail and update social media statuses only feeds the misperception of drivers that there is, in fact, a difference, indicate half of respondents to a recent NSC survey.

Distraction is distraction. If it is attributable to eating a burger, yelling at the kids in the back seat, applying make-up, texting or even making out is not the issue. Acknowledgment by the vehicle operator that driving – and driving alone – is plenty enough to do while at the wheel certainly is.

For those who continue to engage in bad, dangerous and costly behaviour, perhaps a few points that put their driving privileges on the line (maybe the same way they are contributing to putting road safety on the line) should be supported and encouraged.