BCAA asks if distracted driving laws are working
How many B.C. drivers made a resolution this past New Years to comply with the new distracted driving law? And, how many are sticking to their plans? Six months after the introduction of the new law prohibiting B.C. drivers from using a hand-held phone to talk or text while driving, the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) is conducting an online survey to find out how drivers have changed their ways – or not.
BCAA’s distracted driving survey is open to all B.C. drivers, and is available on the homepage at www.bcaa.com . The five-minute anonymous survey asks drivers how the new law has affected their driving behaviour, what they observe other drivers doing, how effectively the new law is being publicized and enforced, and what kinds of distracting behaviours – besides cell phone use – concern them most.
"There appeared to be strong compliance right after the introduction of the new cell phone restrictions, but it’s not uncommon today to see or hear of people sneaking a call or glancing at a text while driving," said Trace Acres, BCAA’s director of Corporate Communications and Government Relations, in a press release.
"The results of our distracted driving survey will be shared with government and law enforcement agencies to help them understand the impact of the law and adjust their publicity and enforcement strategies, if necessary."
In an April 2010 member survey, BCAA members ranked "road safety" as their number one driving concern. And, the issue of driver distractions was BCAA members’ third most pressing safety concern, behind speeding and intersection infractions. In a survey specifically about cell phone use conducted by BCAA during the summer of 2009, 90 per cent of the 7,300 respondents were in support of cell phone restrictions.
