A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper
It still doesn’t seem all that long ago that a school crossing guard in my neighbourhood told me about an episode where he and a small group of children he was helping across the street were almost mowed over by a car coming at them.
In fact, they would have been hit, he said, if he had not pushed the children off the road and ran to the side himself as a car, with a driver on a cellphone and apparently not paying attention, continued to speed by.
At that time, Ontario still had no laws against people using cellphones while driving, even though other provinces and states across the border had them. And even when the province finally came in with a ban on using hand-held cellphones while driving some five years ago, it was already far behind other provinces and many states across the border in combating this dangerous activity.
Even now, as Ontario’s government announced higher fines late this February for using a cellphone or texting behind the wheel, the penalties fall pitifully short of those in other jurisdictions, and that is outrageous given the fact that statistics show this behaviour is killing and maiming more people on our roads than people driving while drunk behind the wheel. The Ontario government of Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne has decided to increase maximum fines for using a hand-held cellphone or texting while driving from $155 to $280 with no demerit points lost, and what a joke that is. Across the border in New York State, the maximum fine is more like $400 with lost demerit points, and in other jurisdictions in Canada, including Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, the fine is also as high as $400 with a loss of three or for demerit points.
The cynic in me, which I so often try my best to keep out of the conversation, says that successive Ontario governments have been reluctant to get tough on people playing with their wireless toys while driving because so many of their car-driving constituents feel they need to use them while stuck in gridlock on highways in the Golden Horseshoe/Greater Toronto Area.
Of course, the government should be saying t these car driving wire heads, if you feel you need to do your cell calls and texting, then leave your car home and use public transit. But that seems to make to much sense.
While we are trying to find some sense in these people who continue to drive in this dangerous way, what our Ontario government ought to do is set fines in to the thousands of dollars and make it possible to have someone’s driver’s license taken away for life if they seriously injure or kill another person while using a cellphone or texting behind the wheel of a car.
This is behaviour that is already killing people on our roads and highways. The penalties for engaging in it must reflect as much.
Just as a footnote, think about how many more advocates we might have for decent public transit in Ontario, if all these people who insist on using wireless devices behind the wheel of a car were driven off the road?
(We weclome your views on the issues raisied in this post below. Please remember that this site only posts comments from those willing to share their first and last name.)
Niagara At Large 
I saw this happen at five corners some years back, not only did this woman have a cell phone glued to her ear, she was oblivious to what was happening at that intersection, I was lucky enough to see this gal, and backed up several feet, otherwise she would have taken off my front fenders, also she did not even have a safe light to go on. That intersection is noted for accidents.Niagara Falls is a tourist town, but many of the natives, drive worse than the tourists,would a larger fine work, it could if the penalties were substantial.
LikeLike
It is interesting that you have posted this today! Earlier today I posted a comment on the Hamilton Spectator website in connection with an article they had posted about a police “blitz` on distracted driving.
I think the fine for the first offence should be $1000. The second offence fine should be $2000. Third offence would be $4000. Fourth offence would be $8000. Fifth offence would be $16,000 fine. In other words MINIMUM fine would double and then double again for repeat offenders. There should also be demerit points — starting at 4 and then doubling. The third offence would probably mean an instant licence suspension. Demerit points also help make sure the offender`s insurance company is aware of their stupidity and can raise their rates accordingly.
Of course, even with the first offence, the police officer would be under orders to confiscate the telephone AND destroy it, right there in front of the telephone owner. If police boots do not do the job, drive the police vehicle over the phone. Instant justice. No appeal. No bleeding-heart run to mommy and daddy. Phone is gone!
I have had it with these self-absorbed idiots who feel they `must“ keep in constant contact with their friends, neighbours etc.
I am sick of them pushing everyone else`s insurance rates sky-high because they are narcissistic, arrogant and self-important!
LikeLike
Wow…..what libtard logic this is……..kill your first pedestrian and get a fine then double each time until you learn your lesson young man. If even one more person is allowed to be killed by a texting driver then your logic is crap.
LikeLike
$1000 fine. Doubles with each conviction.
Coming home from Guelph via Hamilton during rush hour on hwy 6 last year, (an undivided, BUSY 4 lane highway with lots of transports) a young guy, my guess would be 18 to 20, passed me well over the speed limit while looking down to text & steering with his knees. He must have been SO important. Maybe he was advising a brain surgeon or solving a space shuttle problem for NASA. Idiot.
LikeLike
While were at considering increasing the fines for these inconsiderate idiots why don’t we lower the city road speed limits as well on some highways in Southern Ontario . As well lets bring back Photo Radar to not only catch the speeders but catch these distracted drivers as well . The money we save on policing plus fines could make our cities more pedestrian friendly .
LikeLike
Although this does not seem like a solution since it also involves using a cell phone to do it (I do not condone, suggest, advise nor recommend doing it) ….. but if you photograph a person who is texting while driving and then get their car’s license plate……you can submit it to the police and they will have to investigate since it is a crime in progress that was documented on video. It’s like taking a video of a shooting or a robbery, the police have to follow up. You can also take the license plate number and go onto the local police web site and submit a driving complaint and the the driver will be sent a warning letter about what they are doing. If you want to stop this you have to shine a very, very bright light on it otherwise 100’s of people are going to die every year because of these idiots. The fact that the Ontario government is failing to protect us from these people is criminal in itself since a simple stroke of the pen would enact $5000 fines, 5 point demerits and license suspensions for the police to use to protect like they should be allowed to do…..but then I guess if I were riding around safely in a tax paid for limo I wouldn’t have to care either.
LikeLike