While alcohol and drug-impaired driving remain significant public safety concerns in rural Alberta and elsewhere in the province, distracted driving also continues to pose a real threat to innocent people using highways and other public roadways.
In an effort to reduce distracted driving, Alberta RCMP has launched an awareness and enforcement campaign running in February.
Whether the effort will reduce distracted driving and result in fewer collisions and injuries remains to be seen. What is known is that, like impaired driving, distracted driving is a 100 per cent preventable offence, so it remains up to individual drivers to do the right thing.
“Our traffic officers have heard every excuse for why a motorist might have been distracted driving,” said Insp. Chris Romanchych, Alberta RCMP Traffic. “There is never a good enough reason to put yourself and those you share the road with at such risk.”
Police have outlined a number of tips for motorists that, if followed, will prevent distracted driving.
• Know a distraction when you see one. We know texting and calling on a handheld device while driving are distractions, but that’s not all. Drivers are restricted from personal grooming, reading, writing, and adjusting GPS or audio devices. Attending to passengers or pets, and other activity that impair your ability to operate a vehicle safely are also considered distractions.
• Set yourself up for success. Before putting your vehicle in drive, pre-set any hands-free device, GPS, radio or music. This way you do not have to worry about making any adjustments while driving.
• Park it. If you need to text or make a call, pull over where it is safe to do so and park your vehicle. Simply coming to a stop at a red light is not safe.
In 2022, Alberta RCMP charged 5,231 motorists with distracted driving, highlighting a real public safety danger.
Hopefully more motorists will start doing the right thing in 2023, putting their complete focus on the job at hand by driving without distractions.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan.
