On Monday, October 26th, 2009 the ban of using a handheld devices while driving will be in effect. Everybody seems to be wanting to get in on the action and promote safety and nothing screams this louder than a Canadian Tire press release today:
“The safety of our customers is of paramount importance to Canadian Tire,” said Duncan Reith, senior vice president, Canadian Tire Retail. “To help encourage customers to go hands-free, Canadian Tire has been actively educating customers online, through radio advertisements, the weekly flyer and in-store signage on the upcoming law and the alternatives that are available.”
There has been many reports out over the past month about people’s reaction to the upcoming ban. An RBC Insurance report showed:
– 95% of Ontario drivers agree that driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone is dangerous
– 71% strongly support the proposed law
– 85% of wireless device owners without a hands-free device claim they will abide by the new law
– 57% of drivers between the ages of 18-34 strongly support the legislation
– 72% of drivers between the ages of 35-54 strongly support the legislation
– 83% of drivers over the age of 55 strongly support the legislation.
– 48% will wait until they reach their destination before they e-mail, text or make a call
– 15% indicated that they will continue to use their hand-held device while driving despite the new law
– 69% believe the Ontario government should also ban drivers from eating while they drive.
In another survey by Sony Ericsson stated:
– 85% of men are aware of the ban compared to 79% of women.
– 62% of men strongly agree with the legislation and 25% moderately agree
– 16% of women agree with the legislation
– 14% of those aged 18 to 34 say they’ll continue to use their hand-held device regardless of the law.
– 94% of those aged 55 plus say they’ll comply and 3% planning to ignore the ban.
– Northern Ontario has the highest level of compliance with 98%
Once this becomes law if you are caught using a handheld device such as talking, e-mailing or sending text messages you could be fined up to $500.
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
