The Maritimes is taking texting and driving very seriously – with one province increasing fines, and another blaming this behaviour on an increase in fatalities.
New Brunswick RCMP say motorists continue to text and drive, despite distracted driving being deemed the No. 1 cause of fatal crashes in at least three other provinces, and neurologists are suggesting it's even more dangerous than drinking and driving.
RCMP don't know exactly how many New Brunswickers have died because of driving and texting, but they believe it has played a role in many fatal crashes, said Staff Sgt. James Bates.
“We can say that we've had cases in the province where distracted driving has been a strong contributor to a collision,” Bates told
CBC News. “But people may have also been drinking, may have also being going too fast. It's hard to put everything together and say. ‘Here's the number one, two, three, four cause.’”
Matt Richtel, author of A Deadly Wandering: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention, explained during a recent interview with CBC's
The Current, that texting is like a ‘proverbial tap on the shoulder.’
People become habituated to responding to a text message, likening it to a ‘dopamine squirt.’
But unlike changing a radio station, or reaching for a cigarette, texting is “an all-encompassing mental experience,” Richtel told the CBC. It “in effect hijacks your brain for a prolonged period.”
It's difficult for people to ignore a tap on the shoulder when they don't know if it represents an opportunity or a threat, said Richtel.
In neighbouring Nova Scotia, that province is set to increase fines and add four demerit points as of February 1 for those convicted of using cellphones while driving.
Fines are expected to increase to $234 from $176.45 (and three demerit points) for a first offence, and from $350 to $579 for subsequent offences. (continued.)
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In New Brunswick, the penalty is currently a $172 fine and three demerit points.
Still, dealing with people who drive while texting or talking on a hand-held devices is one of the RCMP's top priorities, said Bates.
“The awareness is out there,” Bates told reporters, “the education's been done, so now it's the enforcement piece that kicks in.”
The RCMP have handed out about 595 tickets for distracted driving in New Brunswick so far this year, compared to a total of 763 tickets for all of last year.
Ontario is planning to boost fines to up to $1,000, from the current range of $60 to $500, plus three demerit points, which would make it the toughest province on texting drivers.
Below are some numbers from the CAA:
