Well if you look at the picture, it certainly looks like it now doesn\u2019t it? Well\u2026not according to the Ontario Highway Traffic Act (HTA) because the \u2018Distracted Driving\u2019 laws (HTA Reg. 366\/09) only apply to electronic devices. This picture was snapped while Mayor Rob Ford of Toronto was driving on a highway at about 70km\/hr\u2026while reading. But he wasn\u2019t reading a phone or laptop, which would clearly fall under the current distracted driving ban in Ontario, but rather, he was reading hand held\u2026paper documents. So now what? Well\u2026nothing actually.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that Mayor Ford isn\u2019t paying enough attention to the road but was it technically illegal? No. According to Toronto Police Services \u2013 Traffic Services Division, it\u2019s no more illegal than drinking coffee or adjusting your radio but even Clint Stibbe of TPS said in a phone call that the Mayor shouldn\u2019t be doing that. Personally I would argue this is a case of \u201cCareless Driving\u201d as it\u2019s worded in the HTA Sec. 130 where it states \u201cdrives a vehicle without due care and attention\u201d. The reality is though that Sec. 130 of the HTA can only be applied if there is an obvious (obvious to an officer) lack of control of the vehicle.<\/p>\n
Reading while driving is not the same as having a sip of coffee or blindly reaching down to press one of the preset buttons on your radio. It uses a different part of the brain because reading uses part of your brain governing \u2018cognitive thought\u2019 whereas having a sip of coffee does not.<\/p>\n
But what\u2019s really bothersome about this is the position of the Mayor himself when questioned about the incident. He didn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, probably. I\u2019m busy,\u201d Ford said abruptly when asked about the photo at a Tuesday press conference. \u201cI try to catch up on my work. I keep my eyes on the road, but I am a busy man.\u201d and he later said \u201cIt is ridiculous questions sometimes, seriously.\u201d Obviously Mayor Ford has little regard for safe, attentive driving. He doesn\u2019t think he was doing anything wrong. Perhaps not legally\u2026but really? Come on now. Distracted driving doesn\u2019t seem to be a concern for this driver and as the Mayor of a city where so many are injured each year as a result of distracted driving\u2026it should be.<\/p>\n
Toronto Police Services did go on record to say \u201con behalf of all the citizens of Toronto that value road safety, Mr Mayor\u2026 please get a driver. It is obvious that you are busy enough to require one and no amount of money you are saving by not having one is worth the life of one of your citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
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