‘Distractmobile’ reminds Sask. drivers to pay attention on the roads

Whether it’s a bite of a burger or a text to a friend, things are still distracting Saskatchewan drivers while they’re behind the wheel.

Because distracted driving accounts for a significant number of collisions in the province, SGI is directing its focus in January and February on how to avoid those collisions.

The Crown insurance company says paying attention is a good place to start. A majority of collisions involve some sort of human error, and a distracted driver is significantly more likely to make a mistake.

In an effort to showcase the many distractions drivers could face, SGI created the “Distractmobile.”

“We want drivers to think about the other types of things that might lead to them being distracted, not paying attention, or not focused on the road, and so we’ve crammed as many distractions as we possibly can into one vehicle today. The message here is that an alert driver is a safe driver,” SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy said during a media event Friday.

“If you are letting something else take your attention away from the safe operation of your motor vehicle, even for a couple seconds, it can lead to a collision, it can lead to somebody being injured, or even worse.

“And distracted driving is still a significant cause of collisions on our roads. Police still write on average 750 tickets per month for a distracted driving offence.”

READ MORE:

• Distracted driving still a concern on Saskatchewan roads
• Sask. police busted 545 impaired drivers in December: SGI
• Fast and furious: 5,370 Sask. drivers ticketed for speeding in July

There are many different things that could be considered distractions for drivers, like eating, drinking, having a pet jumping on their lap, reading, grooming, or rifling through a wallet, purse or bag.

All of those are stuffed into the “Distractmobile.”

The driver on Friday was snacking, drinking pop and putting on her makeup, while the passenger in the front seat was reading out loud, taking selfies with the driver and showing the driver pictures from a magazine.

One of the two men in the back seat was playing a ukulele and singing, while the other was dealing with a black Labrador retriever.

“You couldn’t possibly write a law that would cover every potential distraction,” McMurchy said. “We’ve outlined a few, but there’s probably 2,000 more that we could come up with given enough time.

“But people need to understand that when you’re driving, you need to focus on driving. There’s so much going on around you. There’s so much that you have to do as a driver already just in the act of driving. Adding to that (with other things) is just a really bad idea and can have a potentially bad response.”

Penalties for distracted driving can start with a $580 ticket and four demerits on a driver’s licence.

SGI’s ‘Distractmobile’ shows drivers some of the things that can take a driver’s attention off the road. (Roman Hayter/980 CJME)