London councillor Stephen Orser wants to strip talking-texting drivers of their cell phones

You use it, you lose it.

A London politician wants to give the city the power to seize your cell phone if you?re caught texting or yakking behind the wheel.

Coun. Stephen Orser will make his push at city hall a week from Monday ? and it it could be a first in Canada.

?Texting and driving is killing people and the rate is staggering,? he said Thursday.

Since 2010, under a tough new law, Ontario has slapped fines ? $155 if you agree to the charge, up to $500 if you fight it ? on drivers caught using hand-held cell phones or other electronic devices when their attention should be on the road.

A sign of the times, every province and territory in Canada except one now has fines against cell-phone use while driving.

The only exception is Nunavut, which has no paved roads and only 300 km of unpaved roads.

Accident statistics back the need for fines and enforcement. Talking on a cell phone while driving raises the risk of a collision four- or five- fold, while texting boosts the odds of a bad ending 23-fold.

?Distracted driving is a huge issue,? said Elliott Silverstein of the Canadian Automobile Association.

While it?s possible another city has made a similar move as Orser proposes, that would be news to Silverstein, who manages government relations for the CAA in South Central Ontario and speaks often with his CAA counterparts in other provinces.

?This is the first time this has been brought to our attention,? he said.

Orser?s effort is well timed, just 8 days before the CAA launches another national campaign against distracted driving, this one called Missing.

?We?ll definitely be looking at (what London does),? Silverstein said.

The issue is pressing in London, where police are on pace to issue the most fines ever. Here are the stats through July 10 of each year:

• 2013: 840
• 2012: 616
• 2011: 744

?Distracted driving is one of the (big) killers on our roads? London Sgt. Ryan Scrivens said.

There are unanswered questions about Orser?s move, including whether the city has the power to authorize police to seize phones. Even then, what?s to stop a busted driver from just getting another cell phone? Answers weren?t immediately available from authorities Thursday.

Orser said he doesn?t know if the city has the authority to carry through what he?s suggesting, but is convinced something more needs to be done.

?Enough is enough,? he said.

That sentiment is also the reason one London couple have stuck a sign in their car they direct at drivers who text and drive: ?If this offends you, good. Stop texting and driving. It kills.?

Jennifer Lacroix delivers food for a living and says she?s seen too many drivers with their eyes focused on their phones.

?I?ve heard that if you text one sentence it?s like driving blind down eight football fields,? Lacroix said. ?We?re hoping that people read the sign and put down their phones.?

jonathan.sher@sunmedia.ca

Twitter.com/JSHERatLFPress

TEXTING AND TALKING BEHIND THE WHEEL

? Banned in all provinces and territories except Nunavat

? Fines range as high as $400 and as low as $100.

? Canada has now had its first cases of distracted drivers charged in fatal crashes.

? Eight provinces and territories ? but not Ontario ? also issue demerit points.

? Ontario and B.C. also ban drivers from using hand-held devices beyond cell phones.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

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Source: http://www.lfpress.com/2013/07/11/london-councillor-stephen-orser-wants-to-strip-talking-texting-drivers-of-their-cell-phones

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