Distracted Driving Now Exceeds Impaired Driving in Vehicle Accidents and Deaths
Written by Michael Yawney, Q.C.
To help combat a move towards a no fault tort regime, the Trial Lawyers Association of BC, has started a campaign to promote more awareness around distracted driving and how it today is a significant cause of accidents throughout North America.
The Trial Lawyers Association of BC, alongside community groups and professional associations from across the province, launched a public awareness campaign called the BC Coalition to End Distracted Driving.
This recent news headline and article are an example why the TLABC and its members are taking a stand against distracted driving.
Distracted driving is becoming a huge problem and one that is costing lives. It is now responsible for more motor vehicle deaths than drunk driving.
“A 20-year-old in Texas killed 13 people because he chose to text while driving” http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/truck-driver-20-said-im-sorry-i-was-texting-after-collision-that-killed-13-witness
While distracted driving is responsible for countless serious crashes and devastating injuries every year, it is also driving up everybody’s insurance costs through the everyday fender benders that are caused by people thinking it’s okay to check their phones while driving in traffic. When society finally decided it was not “okay” to drink and drive and there was a significant social stigma attached to it (coupled with harsher penalties), drunk driving rates and fatalities went way down. We want the same thing for distracted driving.
As an active TLABC Board of Governor, I encourage you to please check out the website http://distracteddrivingkills.ca/ and have a look through some of the stories from people who have been affected first hand by distracted driving. Please also sign up for the email list and like it on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/distracteddrivingkills.
Share the message with as many people as you can. The broader the message can be spread, the better.
