Turn it off and put it out of sight or turn on airplane mode to avoid the temptation to check your phone.Let calls go to voicemail and ignore your text messages while driving No call, text or email is so important it’s worth risking your life or the lives of others.

ICBC has also teamed up with the RCMP to implement a provincial road and safety campaign on this issue throughout the month of March. In an effort to combat this, ICBC has listed several tips online to help drivers remove the temptation of using their phones while behind the wheel. “Many of these are caused by distracted driving or inattentive drivers,” Cassap said. That’s the equivalent of one crash every two minutes. There has also been a “rapid increase” in crashes throughout the province, with approximately 875 crashes happening every day. READ MORE: Police on the lookout for distracted driversĭistracted driving, which involves any activity - not just texting and calling - that causes the driver to lose focus on the road, is one of the top factors in police reported injury crashes in B.C., Cassap said. So when you’re behind the wheel, take a break from your phone.” “Studies show that you lose 50 per cent of what is going on around you when you use a hand held phone. “And you’re actually five times more likely to crash when you’re using your hand held cellphone. “Distracted driving is now the second leading cause of car crash fatalities on our roads - it’s actually outnumbered the number of impaired driving fatalities,” Cassap said. Both lost control when attempting to type a text and turn a corner at the same time. The simulator takes motorists through a virtual scenario where they must drive their friend to work, and multitask between using a cellphone, listening to a conversation and looking out for hazards on the road.īoth a Langley Times reporter and Leanne Cassap, ICBC’s road safety and community co-ordinator for the Langleys, were unable to make it very far in the challenge.

Texting and driving at the same time is not only difficult to do - it’s potentially deadly - and ICBC is out to prove it.Ī distracted driving simulator, now available for use by schools, businesses and community groups in Langley, shows just how hard it is to concentrate on the road when your vehicle is full of potential diversions.

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