Yup, you can get jail time for texting and driving.

Yup, you can get jail time for texting and driving.

A simple ‘texting and driving’ google search generates statistics that goes on for pages. It’s simple logic – if you’re looking at something other than the road when you’re driving, you are more likely to have an accident. One stat pops up repeatedly, and paints a pretty scary picture. A driver’s eyes are diverted from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds when reading or sending a text. In 4.6 seconds, with its driver not looking at the road, a car travelling 100km/hour travels the length of a football field. It doesn’t take a lot of creativity to imagine the deadly situations that might crop up on the road in that span. Not surprisingly, the US National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports that you are 23 times more likely to crash if texting while driving.

Read More

Speeding in school zones: What does "When children are present" even mean?

Speeding in school zones: What does "When children are present" even mean?

Ever drive by a school zone sign and wonder what counts as ‘When Children Are Present’?  It’s even more important to know now that the speed limit in a school zone changed to only 30 km/hr where the speed limit is normally 50 km/hr.  The definition of ‘When Children Are Present’ hasn’t changed.  The School Area Regulations made under the Motor Vehicle Act states that a child is deemed ‘present’ if the child is ‘on land’ within 30 meters of the center line.  There is no time limit to this definition.  If a child is present, the reduced speed limit is in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  Therefore, if a child is walking along the side of the road in a school zone at 10:00 pm at night in the middle of August, the school zone reduced speed limits still apply.  The logic is, regardless of the time of year, a school is an area where children congregate, whether it’s for academic learning or other pursuits that make use of the school facilities (sports leagues, drama camp etc.).

Read More