11:30am EST | Dave Woodford
GUEST – OPP Sergeant, Dave Woodford
TOPIC -The distracted driving law. OPP laid 21 charges at a collision scene in Napanee Tuesday August 21.
INFO – BELLEVILLE – From amateur photographers to the fast-moving flosser, distracted drivers are keeping area police busy.

A blitz Monday by Napanee OPP led to 21 motorists being charged with distracted driving and one with careless driving. Police said all had shot pictures or video of a collision scene as they drove along Highway 401.

It underscored the prevalence of distracted driving, a provincial offence carrying a $155 fine.

Though not all regions reported an increase in cases between 2010 and 2011, the force’s highway safety division issued 50 per cent more tickets in 2011.

In East Region, the zone between Quinte West and the Quebec border, charges rose by 55 per cent.

Insp. Dave Springer, the regional traffic and marine manager, acknowledged mobile devices have become “an extension to our hand,” but said using them on the road is too risky.

Springer said 14 of the 49 fatal collisions — or 28 per cent — fatal collisions in the region last year were attributed to distracted driving, as were seven per cent of deaths and 11 per cent of collisions this year.   “People know it is impacting on their driving ability but they still do it,” he said.

– The Intelligencer Wednesday, August 22, 2012