Distracted driving dangers focus of Island volunteer roadside awareness effort

Oceanside Community Safety Volunteers were in Qualicum Beach to raise awareness about the hazards of distracted driving on March 26.

Volunteers watched and jotted down the number of drivers they saw on their phones, while they stood at the four corners of the intersection of Fern Road and Memorial Avenue. They will report their statistics to ICBC and Oceanside RCMP.

March is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and ICBC, OCSV and Oceanside RCMP run this kind of awareness event each spring and fall in different locations across District 69.

On average, distracted driving is a factor in 79 deaths and 5,197 injuries a year, according to ICBC data, and a factor in 37 per cent of all police-reported injury crashes.

The most common type of distraction for drivers is use of a personal electronic device — use of these devices has been banned in B.C. since 2010. The law also applies if a person is stopped at a red light, according to ICBC.

Learner and novice drivers are not permitted to use any personal electronic devices, even if with a hands-free system, according to ICBC.

"Keep your hands free. Hands-free means a Bluetooth, wired headset or speakerphone that can be operated with one touch or voice commands," said Rowena Narayan, ICBC road safety community co-ordinator, Mid-North Vancouver Island & Powell River.

The penalty for distracted driving is a $368 fine and four penalty points.

OCSV works in partnership with ICBC, the City of Parksville, the Town of Qualicum Beach, the Oceanside RCMP and the Regional District of Nanaimo to provide public safety and crime prevention information and/or programs to residents of the Oceanside area.