B.C. distracted driving law curbs distracted driving, but needs more enforcement: survey
July 15, 2010
The vast majority of B.C. drivers report they no longer drive while using hand-held devices, but these same drivers report seeing other drivers using hand-held devices and feel the likelihood of being caught for doing so is low, according to a survey by the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA).
B.C. implemented its distracted driving law on Jan. 1, 2010. BCAA conducted an on-line survey of more than 7,500 drivers in June and July to gauge the effectiveness of the law.
Of the two-thirds of drivers who said they talked on a cell phone while driving before the implementation of the law, 84% said they did so using a hand-held phone. And of those drivers who used a hand-held before January 1:
- 21% said they have switched to hands-free;
- 35% said they now pull over to make or take a call; and
- 28% said they have stopped using a phone while driving altogether.
Nine per cent said they used a hands-free before the law and continue to do so. Only 6% said they still talk using a hand-held device, adding that they do this less now than they did before the law.
On the flip-side, 77% of survey respondents said they still observe more than once a week other drivers talking on a hand-held phone. Thirty-seven per cent said they have witnessed, more than once a week, drivers texting on a hand-held device.
Three-quarters of those surveyed said they feel the chances of being caught for texting or talking on a hand-held while driving is unlikely.