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Put Down the Phone

Wednesday, 31 August 2016 14:01

Distracted driving is the number one killer on Ontario highways right now and it is not even close.

Distracted Driving is number one killer on Ontario Highways and it is not even close.

Recent statistics show that fatal accidents are twice more likely to be caused by distracted drivers, than impaired drivers. Sergeant Dave Rektor tells Heart FM one of the hardest things an officer has to do is tell a family their loved has died in a preventable accident.

"Well it's heartbreaking for frontline officers and I've been there myself many times, when you have to go to the door and notify somebody, that somebody they love has been killed as a result of a preventable driving behaviour on another persons part. It's extremely upsetting, there are no words to express how profoundly sad officers are when they have to break that news to people but it is compounded 10 fold when it is the result of somebody's careless actions and distracted driving is a preventable careless action that drivers unfortunately still partake in."

OPP in Oxford and across the Province will be targeting distracted drivers this long weekend. Rektor says unfortunately people still don't see distracted driving in the same light as impaired driving.

"We have a long ways to go, unfortunately some drivers still think it's socially acceptable to text and drive or talk on the phone while their driving, we need to get the message home that their behaviour is killing people and putting other people at risk. The OPP is encouraging passengers to take on a more active role, for instance being a designated texter for a driver and speak up, if they see a driver reaching for their cell phone to tell them to stop it and put the phone down or give it to me and I'll deal with it."

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