This is the third and final part to our series on distracted driving.
Impaired driving have become dirty words in the Canadian lexicon – but the next challenge for the insurance industry is to tar distracted driving with the same brush.
“Our police partners have seen the number of distracted driving collisions creep above the number that comes from impairment,” says Teresa Di Felice, director of government and community relations and driver training in Ontario. “Placing a social stigma on distracted driving is where we have to get to.”
Di Felice harkens back to before the days of Mothers Against Drunk Driviing, when driving impaired was almost considered a badge of honour.
“For many, many years, it was commonplace to ‘have one for the road,’” she told
Insurance Business. “You don’t hear that anymore when it comes to drinking and driving. We have created that awareness and that social stigma of how dangers that behaviour is.”
Public awareness campaigns, increasing fines and violations and increasing the limits of the Blood Alcohol from 0.08 to 0.05 level have all been a piece of the puzzle for the best practices, she adds.
De Felice points out that a complete picture of distracted driving is difficult to frame, as distracted driving can be easily turned into a careless driving charge – but legislation could help to change that.
“The police have the discretion – so those numbers do get dovetailed into careless driving,” she says. “But I think we are going to see more distracted driving charges, as there is a bill before the Ontario legislature that has passed second reading to create stiffer fines and add demerit points.” (continued.)
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Sean Graham, vice president, Kanetix Ltd. and principal broker at KTX Insurance Brokers, applauds the public information campaign by the police.
“What the police are doing with their recent blitz with the hearse. That does a couple of things,” he told
Insurance Business. “It is increasing awareness, and it is increasing the conviction rate. It then raises the insurance rates.”
The need to raise awareness is just one part of an overall strategy needed to combat distracted driving, Graham says.
“Awareness is the first step,” says Graham. “I’m not sure who the group would be to take the lead on this, but the police services have certainly done it.”
It is an awareness campaign that has already started, agrees De Felice, but requires everyone to pitch in and drive the message home.
“For many years, it was OK, it was not illegal, to drive with a hand-held cellphone to your ear. Over the years, as the impact of the dangers that this behaviour was causing was analyzed and understood, and legislations was brought in,” says De Felice. “Now we are on the path of stiffer penalties, to create and force more of that behaviour change.”
The best weapon for brokers to get the message across on distracted driving is the same one that has been used for impaired. (continued.)
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“Educating and informing that there is a law, and telling people what the penalties are,” says De Felice. “Creating that social stigma – and over the last two years we’ve run a public safety campaign with a number of traffic safety partners.”
The reason for forming the traffic safety coalition, she says, was that coming together with a single message aimed at a broader audience was more powerful than having a number of voices reaching individual sectors.
“Just some of the numbers – if you are texting, you are 23 times more likely to crash your vehicle than someone who isn’t,” says De Felice, citing some of the numbers gathered by the Traffic Safety Coalition. The coalition, which includes CAA South Central Ontario, Ministry of Transportation, OPP, and 407 ETR, launched MISSING – a four-week long distracted driving campaign to encourage safe driving habits
Looking for share a few tips on distracted driving? Why not share this link with your clients
For more, see: 15 per cent cut will reward bad drivers; 'Careless' hiding true distracted driving numbers
Also see: Texting and driving as bad or worse than impaired: broker
