You could say it is now put up or shut up time for the province’s cellphone users. Legislation came into effect Jan. 1 making it against the law to drive a motor vehicle while talking on a hand-held cellphone — but drivers were given a two-month period of grace to get used to the idea and to equip themselves with hands-free chatting devices.
During that time police units were merely reminding drivers of the law and only a few tickets were issued in extreme cases.
But now all bets are off and the ticket books will come out in earnest to stop the dangerous practice of holding onto a phone with one hand while manoeuvring a vehicle with the other.
RCMP officials said over the past two months while they have noticed some decline in the use of hand-held cellphones, there are still too many drivers who seem to be thumbing their noses at the new law. Much the same reaction was recorded when seatbelt legislation was first introduced.
After all this time some drivers still object to being belted in their seats so it will naturally follow that the cellphone law will be a law of contention for hardcore chatters who don’t feel comfortable with rules that they say restrict their freedom of speech.
This law is not mean-spirited. It is a law designed to save lives. a law meant to focus a driver’s attention on the task of driving safely instead of being distracted by what’s being discussed on the phone.
There’s been fair warning and a cooling off period for drivers — now police departments must begin to do their jobs.
