Security company vehicle pulled over for distracted driving; licence suspended

The highways are packed with many seeking escape from the city the Friday before the May long weekend in the nation’s capital.

This is the best time for traffic enforcement, according to Constable Michael Fathi, with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). May 16 was a warm and clear day, perfect weather to head out of Ottawa or for those kicking off the weekend early.

It was just after 3:15 p.m., after driving from Nicholas Street on Highway 417, Fathi was just about to head back to the OPP Kanata detachment when, at the split with Highway 416, he saw a driver pick up their phone twice.

The officer saw the driver of a security company head off the ramp to the 416 and pick up his phone, look at it, type something and put it down, before repeating it again.

Veering over and tailing the vehicle, Fathi turned on his lights, and the vehicle ahead slowed down just before the Richmond Road overpass.

According to Fathi, the driver told him he “was just looking something up.” This action resulted, upon conviction, in a $615 fine, three demerit points and a three-day licence suspension, meaning he is unable to work for those days if he needs the vehicle.

According to data from Statistics Canada, distraction accounts for 19.9 per cent of fatal collisions, along with speeding and impaired driving.

“These people they need their licenses for work and they don’t realize the trouble that they’re causing themselves by doing this,” Fathi told CityNews in an interview. “I don’t understand it. Like to me, there’s just nothing that important that comes up that you need to be texting while you’re driving.”

In Ontario, a driver using a phone is four times more likely to crash than a driver focusing on the road, according to the province’s website. This results in one person injured in distracted driving every half an hour.

Recent statistics from OPP indicate that distracted driving has surpassed impaired driving as the leading cause of vehicle-related deaths in Ontario.

On the road, Fathi said people using their phones while driving is something he sees extremely often.

“It’s just not necessary, and I just have zero sympathy for it anymore because I’ve seen too many collisions from distracted driving,” he said.

Insurance companies take the charge seriously

According to Fathi, one of his friends had an experience where finding vehicle insurance after a distracted driving charge was difficult.

“When he went to renew his insurance he got dropped by his insurance company,” Fathi said. This was even after he did not fight the charge and paid the fine upfront.

The friend had to find a new company and had to pay $4,000 for the year for insurance. He also had to sign a waiver saying he would not drive his wife’s car.

“Insurance companies look at it as bad as a drinking and driving conviction,” Fathi said. “It’s not a joke.”