Community Action

CAA South Central Ontario's position on Novice Cell Phone Ban

CAA's position is that Ontario should pass legislation or regulatory changes that would prohibit G1 and G2 drivers from using a cell phone or other external electronics devices while driving.

Our reasons for supporting a cell phone ban for novice drivers

• Ford placed drivers in a simulator without any distractions. Both teen drivers and adults had a 3% miss rate in identifying potentially dangerous events. When the same test was re-run with participants using cell phones, the adult miss rate rose to 13%, while teen driver distraction levels rose to over 50%.
• A Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) study shows 15 to 19 year olds represent 13% of licenced drivers in Canada, yet account for 25% of all driver deaths and injuries.
• In 2003, the US-based National Transportation Safety Board recommended legislation to protect novice drivers from distractions.
• According to the Alberta Motorist Association (AMA), every evaluation of state and provincial graduated licencing systems has identified crash reductions - some as high as 60%.
• A recent Auto Club of Southern California review found that for 16-year-old drivers, there was a 20% reduction in at-fault fatal and injury crashes with nighttime, passenger and cell restrictions. Injuries and fatalities of teen passengers riding with 16-year-old drivers decreased by 40%.
• A University of Alberta study, commissioned by AMA, found that when an inexperienced driver is distracted, he/she has a greater risk of being involved in an automobile crash. It also found new drivers are more likely than experienced drivers to be at a higher risk of crashing due to higher frequency of cell phone use while driving.

Further evidence linking distractions to collisions

• A 1997 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine analyzed phone billing records for a sample of Canadian drivers in collisions. They found the crash risk four times higher when drivers were phoning than when phones weren't in use.
• A 2002 Transport Canada study notes that using cell phones can be a mental distraction. The study noted that when drivers talk on cell phones, their mirror and periphery (left/right) inspection is reduced.
• A 1999 study conducted by Goodman et al, argues that a ban on hand-helds only would create the misconception that the use of hands-free phones is safe. The study suggests that if authorities lead motorists to believe hands-free phones are safe, they will talk longer and more frequently while driving. The study also suggests an increase in hands-free conversations would lead to more collisions.
• Police currently have the ability to lay a careless driving charge. This charge carries a fine with a minimum fine of $200 and six demerit points. A University of Western Ontario article quotes an officer who finds fault with the status quo. OPP Sgt. David Rektor notes that it is not possible to charge someone for using a cell phone while driving, unless they are deemed to have been driving carelessly while talking on their cell. In addition, he says it's very difficult to convict people for careless driving as a result of using a cell phone, and courts often throw these cases out. He notes if there was a law that specifically dealt with cell phone use, it would be much easier to enforce.
• A Toronto epidemiologist, Donald Redelmeier, notes educational efforts to promote seat-belt use only resulted in 20% of people buckling up; it took legislation to raise this past 80%.