[FerrariEnzo]

Is securing your phone to the windshield or dash ok or will you get ticketed?

I tried searching but couldn't find anything on the new law...

Anyone have links?

Thanks

[Gh0stRider]

as long as its secured to a mount. no cup holders, lap or passenger seat.


Phone secured while driving? Cup holder won't cut it - British Columbia - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/distracted-driving-bc-rules-laws-1.4120627)

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/driving/publications/electronic-devices-while-driving.pdf

[FerrariEnzo]

The PDF file was made back in Feb, didnt they updated the law afterwards?

[ziggyx]

The government link posted by Ghostrider is the same one found on this link

Distractions While Driving - Cell Phones and Other Devices - Province of British Columbia (http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/road-safety-rules-and-consequences/distractions#rules)

I'm assuming it's the most updated version, but there's also a phone number in that link that you can probably call to clarify things.

[320icar]

Wait, I can’t put my phone in the cup holder? I’m actually really strict and never touch my phone while driving. But with having a large phone and wallet, they go in the cup holder before I even start the car. That’s now illegal too?

[FerrariEnzo]

phone needs to be secured to the car, according to the documents.. its not secure if its in the cup holder...

[LP700-4]

Cup holder= not secure
Windshield/dashboard mount thing that falls off once in a while (usually when you're driving)= secure

SeemsGood

[AzNightmare]

lol, my phone is always in the cup holder..

I wouldn't be too worried, seems like the people getting caught are the ones that are blatantly using their phone at the red lights (or while driving, lol). Cops are checking to see who's got their heads down texting or holding their phone up to eye level, not people who have their phones in their cup holders.

Unless some of you have stories otherwise....?

[ziggyx]

Wait, I can’t put my phone in the cup holder? I’m actually really strict and never touch my phone while driving. But with having a large phone and wallet, they go in the cup holder before I even start the car. That’s now illegal too?

You can put your phone in the cup holder as long as you are not using it. If you are using it, for example as a GPS or taking a hands free call, technically by law it has to be mounted or secured. I believe that’s what they’re saying.

[6o4__boi]

i've been using google assistant for the last couple of weeks

i don't know how i lived this long without it

[inv4zn]

Just an FYI, if cops see your phone in your cup holder, you will likely get a ticket, unless cop just gives you a warning.

They use the same logic as handing out tickets for sleeping in the car while drunk, if you have your keys on you - you had the "potential" of breaking the law, so you broke the law.

It's stupid, but it is the way it is. Secure it somewhere, or put it in a door pocket or somewhere out of easy reach.

Source: Friend got ticket for phone in cup holder, disputed, lost.

[prudz]

lol, my phone is always in the cup holder..

I wouldn't be too worried, seems like the people getting caught are the ones that are blatantly using their phone at the red lights (or while driving, lol). Cops are checking to see who's got their heads down texting or holding their phone up to eye level, not people who have their phones in their cup holders.

Unless some of you have stories otherwise....?

I was sitting in traffic on boundary road one day. A motorcycle cop was lane splitting going car to car checking for phones. Eventually he found someone (who to me didn't look like they were talking on their phone as it wasn't in their hands) and the cop told her to pull over. The person seemed confused and he pointed and told her it was because of the phone in the cup holder. The only reason I heard this is because it was right next to me and my window was down. My mind blew up at that moment because of how stupid that is. I then carefully tucked mine into my center console from my cup holder lmao.

[320icar]

That’s fucked. Guess I’ll switch to door pocket even though it is JUST AS ACCESSABLE as the cup holder. Should I lock it in the trunk? Put it in a burlap sack and hurl it in the river?

[twitchyzero]

so they can issue you a $600+ ticket for having a phone in a cup holder?

fuck right off

[Great68]

OK guys, here's how it works:

Simply having your phone in your cupholder is not illegal.

USING your phone while it's in your cupholder IS illegal.

Of course if any cop sees you looking down for any reason, and then spots a cell phone in your cup holder you're probably going to get a ticket.

[ScizzMoney]

I just put my phone in my center console. Pretty secure in there. If you actually don't check your phone while driving there isn't really a need to have it handy in a cup holder :P

[meme405]

I just put my phone in my center console. Pretty secure in there. If you actually don't check your phone while driving there isn't really a need to have it handy in a cup holder :P

Except that when I go to get out of my car I'm infinitely more likely to forget it if it's in my console.

Ive heard of people getting tickets for their phones on the passenger seat or in the cup holder as well. Even if they weren't using it. Which is retarded. That pdf is pretty clear, it only needs to be secured if you are using it. Just having it in your car and not using it gets you a ticket? What's the difference between it being in my pocket and it being in my cup holder.

What's next you have to carry it in the trunk like booze? Lock it in a padlocked cover? Fuck off.

[twitchyzero]

Of course if any cop sees you looking down for any reason, and then spots a cell phone in your cup holder you're probably going to get a ticket.

what if I'm just fixing a wedgie or scratching my balls at the red light?

few posts above suggests law enforcement is starting to treat mobile devices like open alcohol unless it's secured in a mount.

[Great68]

what if I'm just fixing a wedgie or scratching my balls at the red light?

few posts above suggests law enforcement is starting to treat mobile devices like open alcohol unless it's secured in a mount.

Yep, It's your word vs the officer's and sure, it's a law that's open to abuse.
I'm not disputing that.

[Urrtoast]

Here is the link to the rules.
You can have it on your person in your pocket with a headset even...

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/driving/publications/electronic-devices-while-driving.pdf

[yray]

what if I'm just fixing a wedgie or scratching my balls at the red light?


Let the officer smell your fingers after :fullofwin::ahwow: thats proof

[AzNightmare]

Sounds like a lot of BS in that case...

I assume it's a "black and white" rule for the sake of simplicity.
Kind of like, 50 is legal, 51 is speeding.. But no officer's gonna give you a speeding ticket for 60 (unless in incredibly rare cases..?)

I expect the same analogy with the cup holder issue, assuming there was absolutely nothing indicating you were looking down and using your phone.

I just put my phone in my center console. Pretty secure in there. If you actually don't check your phone while driving there isn't really a need to have it handy in a cup holder :P

lol, my car is small with tight bolstered seats... Doesn't feel comfy with my phone or keys in my pocket while I'm driving.

[Indy]

i got a cheap magnetic phone mount from amazon for this reason. I like to have my phone out of my pocket when driving too and a normal phone mount is too cumbersome to use. So take out my phone, jam it on the magnet and when I park I just grab it as i'm getting out of the car.

so far its been secure but I'm sure it will go flying in a car accident...so...ymmv

[BaoTurbo]

I think the cops are assuming you're using it regardless if its inside your cup holder.

So technically you're guilty until proven innocent in which case you gotta take it up at court

[SolidPenguin]

They use the same logic as handing out tickets for sleeping in the car while drunk, if you have your keys on you - you had the "potential" of breaking the law, so you broke the law.

Having a "potential" to break the law is not breaking the law...

The scenario you mentioned is only if you are in the driver seat, and the offence occurred because you had "care and control" of a motor vehicle while impaired. That is what is written in law.

If you had the keys, but were sleeping in the backseat, you did not have care and control. No offence committed.

[FerrariEnzo]

Its a good thing I always have it on my windshield mount when I get into my car, unless Im in a hurry, then it stays in my pocket.

Then if I get any msg or whatever.. "Ok Google" and then tell it to do whatever I need.. read my msg, reply, email, etc... never have to touch my phone...


I believe, its ok to have to screen of the on, as long as its not playing any video of some sort...


I just wanted to confirm with other people if window mounted is ok or not... Was having thankgiving dinner and my relatives where all bitching about it cant be visible anywhere in the car...

[BaoTurbo]

honestly I think these distracted driving laws are getting more and more out of hand. It started off as an awareness

I personally believe now its gotten to a point where its exaggerated. It may be bias but I think many people who drive here are already not alert while on the road, resulting to fatal crashes or crashes in general. News was spreading a while back that eating or smoking or changing radio stations or touch your infotainment system is no longer allowed which doesn't make any sense. Do we need to ban all activities as distracted driving unless we are just solely driving? Like not even listening to radio because that could also be a distraction from driving.

This province is just dumbing down everyone to a point where people can no longer do anything other than driving, then does that lower the alertness level? I would be so bored I could sleep if I can't do anything while stuck in traffic, not even a cigarette. And on top of this the city is already full of people who are not fully alert to begin with; the sense of urgency, now you're just making lazy slow people into even more slower people perse.

[iambuRnz]

days before they implemented this law, i went through a roadblock once with my phone in the passenger seat. I had just answered the phone so the screen was still on.. (hands-free, of course) officer saw it right away and I was asked to keep my phone NOT within arms reach. I told her it was connected with the vehicle and i answered it hands free. She said it didnt matter and that I should keep it either in the glove compartment or somewhere away from me. I wanted to keep questions but i was afraid they were going to get me to pull over for asking too much so i just went on my way..

[nns]

Whenever I read articles about distracted driving, the comments are always full of high and mighty, never do wrong, self-righteous assholes. "Ticket them more", "Impound their car", "I wish they would allow us to send pictures in of people on their phones".

I remember how proud the province/police was to advertise a while back how many tickets they handed out and how much money people were penalized as a result. In between basking in the smell of their own farts, the aforementioned assholes ate it up like the sheep they are.

You know what I'd love to see? The actual explanations behind all those tickets and their justifications from the officers perspective. Imagine if the majority of the tickets were completely ridiculous like plugging your phone into the charger at a red light, leaving your phone in the cup holder, or whatever else was deemed harmless back when our parents and their parents drove. The public would riot. I wish there was somewhere I could go to challenge the court, the superintendent of MV, whomever - give me the facts. I want to know. I have no problem being wrong and eating my own words but empty figures with no context is not how the police should be serving the public. This should be a standard the public is owed and deserve when we allow law enforcement more and more powers.

That whole distracted driving initiative launched last month, it just stinks of overzealous law enforcement looking to nitpick anything and everything possibly remotely, minuscule as it may, related to distracted driving. Yea, it hammered the point across, but I suspect it was built on a foundation of horse shit.

[!e.lo_]

Having a "potential" to break the law is not breaking the law...

The scenario you mentioned is only if you are in the driver seat, and the offence occurred because you had "care and control" of a motor vehicle while impaired. That is what is written in law.

If you had the keys, but were sleeping in the backseat, you did not have care and control. No offence committed.

Pretty sure that's still care and control. Back seat, front seat... if you're intoxicated and in the vehicle with the vehicle's keys, that's care and control.

Play the law and put your ignition key in the engine bay. just have the fob on you and sleep in the back.

[inv4zn]

Having a "potential" to break the law is not breaking the law...

The scenario you mentioned is only if you are in the driver seat, and the offence occurred because you had "care and control" of a motor vehicle while impaired. That is what is written in law.

If you had the keys, but were sleeping in the backseat, you did not have care and control. No offence committed.

I agree with you, but police officers do not. You sleep in the backseat with the keys, you blow over, you will get charged with DUI.

Same shit with handheld electronics. It's bullshit, but it is what it is.

[Teriyaki]

What if I throw the keys in the trunk. Not accessible unless I physically leave the vehicle as the seats don't fold down.

[BaoTurbo]

Everyday I'm hearing over the radio these ads for distracted driving and its mainly like "distracted driving cause more accidents than intoxicated driving" its really driving me insane. It's like the city all of a sudden didn't want to focus on any other crime other than distracted driving based on some sort of trend initiative IMO. They keep handing out these tickets thinking they achieved some sort of large scale bust or some police milestone basking in their pride but seriously these guys getting tickets may have a 1/100,000,000 chance of crashing fatally or non fatally. It's like handing out tickets is now the benchmark for achievement.

Now there's sting operations focused just on distracted driving instead of policing out in areas which need them. Oak and 70th, Marine drive, all large intersections, and operations involving riding in buses or hiding in bushes; these all cost taxpayers money while you sit your ass waiting for that sorry motherfucker that decides to pick up the phone while bored in traffic. Then they post all their stats out getting these sorry silly fuckers saying they did an amazing job. Yes, you can argue that you created a deterrent but how much of a chance are you deterring among the infinite factors and the money spent on the officers to camp out. Seriously is this what the main focus is now? While there is an fentanyl and drug overdose issue?

I don't even read the news anymore but a simple search already pulled very worrying titles: Vancouver's supervised injection site struggles with the rise of fentanyl (http://www.news1130.com/2017/09/01/vancouver-supervised-injection-struggles-fentanyl/)

[mr_chin]

It's not so much that the officers in their charger vehicles that pulls you over. It's the ones on the bikes that creeps up behind you. I've seen so many in the summer who would drive into the other side of the street (lane going opposite direction), just to sneak up on drivers with open windows.

[AzNightmare]

Distracted driving can come in so many forms. While I agree people shouldn't be touching their phones while driving, throwing a black and white rule is BS.

People can also be too focused talking to their passenger can get distracted. So are they eventually going to forbid talking in the car too?

[6o4__boi]

i save all my distracted driving while waiting in line for gas at costco

:troll:


It's not so much that the officers in their charger vehicles that pulls you over. It's the ones on the bikes that creeps up behind you. I've seen so many in the summer who would drive into the other side of the street (lane going opposite direction), just to sneak up on drivers with open windows.

i've seen officers using DSLRs with super long range telephoto lens standing on overpass or some a block or two away

[Acura604]

What I don't get are the filthy smokers... i mean, you got a lit cigarette that can burn you if you drop it...not to mention the filthy smokers don't like using their cars as ashtrays and prefer dumping their butts out the window.... wtf.... although over the summer there were some cases where the 'copper no stoppers' ticketed the filth when they were caught littering their filthy butts.

FINE THEM ALL....

[dark0821]

since I am in a bad mood today... I will just give my 0.02

What happens if a police officer pulls over a police officer off-duty.. I guess they are "trained" to use an electronic device while driving?

If they are, they should set up a test... just like a condition on your driver license... if you can go thru "proper training" to use a cellphone....

Honestly... hahaha just pissed off my car is too old to have android audio or apple car play... always the cheap guys gets dinged right? I mean I am sure all the new cars can do all sorts of things (including checking your emails, sending texts) thru your centre console right?

[Cr33pUh]

delete

[donk.]

be nice to the cop, and you will be fine.

[noclue]

I agree with banning phones but don't agree with using it when stopped. Modern car infotainment systems are a lot more distracting these days.

FYI using your phone while waiting for gas or at the drive-thru will get you a ticket as well.

[twitchyzero]

they got to be in a really terrible mood to bust you for distracted driving when you're clearly not in traffic

but if they ever stooped that low you can test your lawyer game as violations to the motor vehicle act on private property are not managed by the police

[FerrariEnzo]

I agree with banning phones but don't agree with using it when stopped.
This is a broad/vague... when your stopped at the red light, using your phone and not going when it turns green, etc... how many times you seen this and how many times it annoys you...

[twitchyzero]

does it suck if that happened and you're at the end of the pack and missed an activated left green light? sure
most of the time it's a 2 second difference and certainly has little bearing on safety

[SolidPenguin]

Pretty sure that's still care and control. Back seat, front seat... if you're intoxicated and in the vehicle with the vehicle's keys, that's care and control.

Play the law and put your ignition key in the engine bay. just have the fob on you and sleep in the back.

I agree with you, but police officers do not. You sleep in the backseat with the keys, you blow over, you will get charged with DUI.

Same shit with handheld electronics. It's bullshit, but it is what it is.

Backseat is not care and control.
That is the easiest DUI to fight ever if you were ever charged cause you were sleeping in the backseat.

Here is a good resource. With a specific section for "sleeping in vehicle"," and supporting case law.

The only times where Care and Control is mentioned is in the front seat.

And police officers agree with me, ask me how I know ;)

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Canadian_Criminal_Law/Offences/Impaired_Driving_and_Over_80/Care_and_Control#Care_and_Control

[white rocket]

Having a "potential" to break the law is not breaking the law...

The scenario you mentioned is only if you are in the driver seat, and the offence occurred because you had "care and control" of a motor vehicle while impaired. That is what is written in law.

If you had the keys, but were sleeping in the backseat, you did not have care and control. No offence committed.

A friend was shittered drunk downtown a couple year ago and he had his truck keys in his pocket. No intention of driving at all and was staying downtown at a friends house. He approached his truck, which was parked along Seymour Street in a metered spot, to grab some stuff out of it and then was going to proceed to the place he was staying. Decided it would be a good idea to throw up in the garden beside where he was parked. It happens when you drink too much so it is what it is. A cop saw this and approached him asking what was going on. Through conversation he discovered that his keys were in his pocket and he was within 8 feet (or something to that effect, cop was stuck on some sort of measurement of distance from the keys to the truck) and gave him a DUI using the care and control reason. He fought it and lost.

What I got from this is that tolerance from a cops point of view is absolutely zero so don't fuck around thinking that there is any leeway with something as serious as a DUI. Distracted driving is no different and cops are seeking out potential offenders to set a precedent to provoke fear in society to change the mentality of it altogether. Pretty soon you won't be able to start your vehicle until the phone is paired to a hands-free and locked out of distracting features like texting, etc.

[Dragon-88]

I'd like the opportunity to take a course that will train me in using a electronic device while driving, because all taxi drivers, truck drivers, bus drivers and city personnel have all done this. Right...

[Traum]

A friend was shittered drunk downtown a couple year ago and he had his truck keys in his pocket. No intention of driving at all and was staying downtown at a friends house. He approached his truck, which was parked along Seymour Street in a metered spot, to grab some stuff out of it and then was going to proceed to the place he was staying. Decided it would be a good idea to throw up in the garden beside where he was parked. It happens when you drink too much so it is what it is. A cop saw this and approached him asking what was going on. Through conversation he discovered that his keys were in his pocket and he was within 8 feet (or something to that effect, cop was stuck on some sort of measurement of distance from the keys to the truck) and gave him a DUI using the care and control reason. He fought it and lost.
WTF that's utter bullshit! I am not surprised to see that the cop handed out the ticket that he did. They are ridiculous and heavy-handed like that. But even the court sided with the police charge on this?

[SolidPenguin]

A friend was shittered drunk downtown a couple year ago and he had his truck keys in his pocket. No intention of driving at all and was staying downtown at a friends house. He approached his truck, which was parked along Seymour Street in a metered spot, to grab some stuff out of it and then was going to proceed to the place he was staying. Decided it would be a good idea to throw up in the garden beside where he was parked. It happens when you drink too much so it is what it is. A cop saw this and approached him asking what was going on. Through conversation he discovered that his keys were in his pocket and he was within 8 feet (or something to that effect, cop was stuck on some sort of measurement of distance from the keys to the truck) and gave him a DUI using the care and control reason. He fought it and lost.

What I got from this is that tolerance from a cops point of view is absolutely zero so don't fuck around thinking that there is any leeway with something as serious as a DUI. Distracted driving is no different and cops are seeking out potential offenders to set a precedent to provoke fear in society to change the mentality of it altogether. Pretty soon you won't be able to start your vehicle until the phone is paired to a hands-free and locked out of distracting features like texting, etc.

I find this very very hard to believe. Either your friend is leaving out some key information, or him or his lawyer were absolutely terrible. There is case law against this and almost impossible that he lost if he fought it.
Thats why that leads me to believe theres missing information here.

[MarkyMark]

Yeah that sounds like BS lol, plus your friend was shittered so his recollection of that night is probably a little hazy.

[AzNightmare]

As much as it was "BS" for the cop to give your friend a ticket, I also find it a good lesson to not be pissed drunk in the first place. :derp:

lol, while I don't exactly agree with how strict and "black and white" the handheld laws are, I find it interesting how much of a problem people in general have without being able to use their phone at every traffic break during their commute. Maybe some of you guys are on the road for very long durations at a time or your job requires you to constantly be communicating with clients?

I think for the most part, people are just addicted to the phone and a 30 min commute is just simply way too long to stay away from the phone... or maybe people's GF's are going to throw a fit if the BF's don't reply msgs within 3 mins. I don't know... :badpokerface:

[Traum]

or maybe people's GF's are going to throw a fit if the BF's don't reply msgs within 3 mins. I don't know... :badpokerface:
Within 3 minutes? Obviously you have no idea what kind of response times many gfs require... :o

[Jmac]

I find this very very hard to believe. Either your friend is leaving out some key information, or him or his lawyer were absolutely terrible. There is case law against this and almost impossible that he lost if he fought it.
Thats why that leads me to believe theres missing information here.
Drunk in the Backseat of a Car? You Could Get a D.U.I. (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/theo-sarantis/driving-drunk_b_1837156.html)

The accused in Smits was found on the side of a rural road in the rear seat of a motor vehicle sleeping after a neighbour called the police out of concern the occupant of the vehicle may be dead. When police investigated they saw the accused near-comatose in the backseat and in an intoxicated condition when he finally woke, the keys in the ignition and open alcohol in the car.

While Smits may have felt he was in the clear, the trial judge (eventually supported by the Court of Appeal) disagreed. The court clarified the test that for that risk of danger to be made out, the conduct of the occupant in relation to the motor vehicle must create a risk that the accused while impaired would put the car into motion and create a danger. Relevant conduct by the court included that the accused had not arrived home but intended to go there, that the keys were in the ignition, and that the accused was in a volatile mood by virtue of his significant impairment. As a result, that accused was found guilty of having the care or control of a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol.

And, it's a different jurisdiction, but on Alaska State Troopers, I've seen them hand out DUIs for drinking within the vicinity of a vehicle, sleeping in the backseat of a vehicle, etc.

But laws like this just make me shake my head.

The whole point of drinking and driving, texting and driving, etc. laws is to punish people for actions that pose SIGNIFICANT risk to the public, thus improving public safety.

In the quoted case above, there's no significant risk to the public there.

In the case of what this thread is about (securing your mobile device), it poses no significant risk to the public to have your phone in the cupholder of your car listening to turn-by-turn directions from the GPS.

These overreaching laws are money grabs and not about public safety. They should stop at the point where the action poses significant risk to the public.

[white rocket]

That was the story as I heard it. Obviously without being there it's hard to assess the tone and mood of each party involved. Any encounter with a police officer can turn bad with even the slightest attitude, especially in the downtown drinking district, so that is a factor for sure. He has no reason to lie though and isn't known to be belligerent but alcohol does tend to make you feel bigger than you are.

[heisenberg]

i was in my friends car when we got pulled over in a speed trap.

we were curious about the whole cell phone / electronics thing when it comes to "distracted driving"

so we asked the officer and she said something along the lines "as long as i cant see it youre fine"

her main concern was if it was in the cup holder / on the passenger seat / center console and you were to either do a quick turn or a quick stop and your phone went flying, it is now a hazard. she made the assumption you'd go and find it and that could lead to issues.

we also asked about "N" drivers. one restrictions to having your class 7N is that you cant use any electronic devices. the officer however also said you couldnt use the radio / aux / bluetooth in newer cars because they're pretty much tablets. she said new drivings shouldnt even touch the console features lol

[twitchyzero]

has anyone been pulled over for eating/dogs on lap under the new laws yet?

[Indy]

has anyone been pulled over for eating/dogs on lap under the new laws yet?

...not gonna lie. at first I read "eating dogs on lap"

[underscore]

I agree with banning phones but don't agree with using it when stopped. Modern car infotainment systems are a lot more distracting these days.

FYI using your phone while waiting for gas or at the drive-thru will get you a ticket as well.

If you're in park and out of the way, sure. But the people holding up the line because they aren't paying attention are assholes, and people doing while not in park are a danger.

[SolidPenguin]

Drunk in the Backseat of a Car? You Could Get a D.U.I. (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/theo-sarantis/driving-drunk_b_1837156.html)



And, it's a different jurisdiction, but on Alaska State Troopers, I've seen them hand out DUIs for drinking within the vicinity of a vehicle, sleeping in the backseat of a vehicle, etc.

I think the key thing (har har) in that link above, is that the keys were IN the ignition. Not away from.

And I cannot speak for laws in Alaska, as I only have experience in Canada.

[nns]

The B.C. government’s latest crackdown on distracted driving should be good news for Kyla Lee, a Vancouver defence lawyer who specializes in fighting traffic tickets in court.

That’s because every time the government’s hammer comes down, the calls to her law office go up. It’s happened every time the people in charge have ramped up penalties against drivers using their mobile phones behind the wheel.

This time — with the fines and penalties scheduled to soar to $2,000 for a second offence — she’s expecting her own phone to ring off the hook.

“Not a lot of people have $2,000 kicking around to just pay a huge penalty,” Lee told me Wednesday. “More people will decide it’s worth the time and expense to fight back.”

But while the crackdown could be good for business, Lee wonders if the government is doing the right thing — and not just because of the added strain on the justice system.

“Hitting people in the pocketbook doesn’t seem to be working,” she said. “Every time they increase the penalties, the police just keep writing more tickets and nothing seems to change.

“It’s starting to look more and more like a way for the government to line its own pockets.”

Derek Lewers, a researcher with the drivers’ advocacy group SENSE B.C., also sees a cash grab in the works.

“The government is already counting on collecting an additional $5 million a year from increased penalties — that was right in their press release,” he said. “Instead of trying to stop the behaviour, they’re already banking the cash.”

That doesn’t mean Lewers thinks people should be allowed to type emails or text-message on their phones while driving.

“But that’s not what most distracted-driving tickets are issued for,” he said. “Most tickets are for a driver simply touching a cellphone while stopped at a traffic light.”

Under the current law, it’s illegal to handle a cellphone behind the wheel, even if the vehicle isn’t moving.

Lewers pointed to records released under B.C. Freedom of Information laws to back up his point. Of 52,000 distracted-driving tickets issued in 2013, only 1,000 were for “texting or emailing,” the records show.

“The rest were mainly for drivers physically touching a phone, usually while stopped at an intersection,” Lewers said. “You are allowed to fiddle with the buttons on a radio or move a briefcase into your back seat or drink a cup of coffee, but you cannot touch a cellphone.”

Lee, the defence lawyer, thinks the government sees a chance to make a lot of money in a hurry.

“Rather than spending money to correct a problem — like deploying specially trained distracted-driving enforcement officers, for example — they’re planning to collect money from citizens because of the problem.”

Don’t expect the government to reverse course. The opinion polls support a distracted-driving crackdown. And the B.C. government is desperate for cash to stop the financial bleeding at ICBC.

The best advice for drivers: Don’t even look at your phone, even when your car is parked, or it could cost you a tonne.
Mike Smyth: Is B.C. gov?t crackdown a distracted-driving cash grab? | The Province (http://theprovince.com/news/bc-politics/is-b-c-govt-crackdown-a-distracted-driving-cash-grab)

I can see people will be all for it until the same people end up getting a $2000 ticket for something completely innocuous like being caught stopped at a red light and changing the music on their phone.

[Traum]

Mike Smyth: Is B.C. gov?t crackdown a distracted-driving cash grab? | The Province (http://theprovince.com/news/bc-politics/is-b-c-govt-crackdown-a-distracted-driving-cash-grab)
“You are allowed to fiddle with the buttons on a radio or move a briefcase into your back seat or drink a cup of coffee, but you cannot touch a cellphone.”
What? You're allowed to drink coffee again? I thought that was not OK and enough cause for a distracted driving ticket.

[Cr33pUh]

This law has too many grey areas tbh. They define distracted driving as "attention being diverted from driving tasks."
-https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/road-safety-rules-and-consequences/distractions

Everything we do (drinking water/changing radio channels/talking to in-vehicle people/ looking for street names/etc) is considered distracted driving. I see cops driving slowly forward while looking out their side windows to catch people on their phones. Isn't that distracted driving? Shouldn't they be ticketed? Whatever happened to "no one is above the law". Doesn't even matter if the phone is attached to a phone holder, if you're using it as GPS, you're technically distracted from the road by looking at where you need to go.

They seriously need to make this law more clearer. Just my 2cents.