A recent poll carried out by insurance company Aviva Canada has revealed that 78% of Canadians believe technology is the best way to stop drivers from being distracted by their cell phones, CTV News reports. Majority of respondents said that instead of using police crackdowns or peer pressure, technology should be used to stops people from texting and using other phone functions while driving.
Of the 1,504 Canadians surveyed for the poll, 95 per cent said that others’ texting and driving makes them feel unsafe on the road. Eighty-eight per cent said they’ve witnessed the dangerous practice. Only 22 per cent admitted to doing it themselves. Forty-nine per cent thought that fines and demerits are an effective deterrent while only 32 per cent thought peer pressure can be successful.
According to the RCMP, almost 90% of collisions occur when a driver has their eyes off the road for just three seconds. Statistics also show that more people die on Canadian roads from distracted driving than impaired driving.
“For the first time, what we are seeing is that Canadians don’t think social persuasion or law enforcement strategies against distracted driving are working,” said Aviva Canada president and CEO Greg Somerville. Aviva also praised the new ‘do not disturb while driving’ feature on in iOS 11. “Technology is the only realistic answer”, he added.
Depending on the province or territory, penalties for distracted driving in Canada range from three to five demerit points and fines from $100 to $1000.
