ICBC plans to test two new devices 鈥� one for drivers and one for police 鈥� that it hopes will deter people from texting or talking on a cellphone while behind the wheel.
鈥淭he point of all of this is to drive down the number of collisions, to prevent the number of accidents and to save lives,鈥� Attorney General David Eby said Tuesday.
Driving with smartphone/Shutterstock
鈥淲e want to really send the message to British Columbia that this has to stop and there has to be聽a cultural shift in British Columbia.鈥�
ICBC said it will launch the first pilot project in January. It聽plans to recruit 200 drivers to install an app on their smartphones.
The app communicates with a聽device plugged into a port in the vehicle and blocks the phone from being used when the device senses that the car is moving.
Eby, who is responsible for ICBC, said the corporation researched standalone apps on the market, but concluded they were insufficient to prevent distracted driving.
鈥淭he app paired with the plug-in in the car appears to be a technology that will provide more certainty around ensuring that people are not using their phone when they鈥檙e driving,鈥� he said.
Drivers who are interested in taking part in the pilot project can sign up on ICBC鈥檚 website.
If the test is successful, Eby said, the government will consider requiring new drivers to use the devices in order to get their learner鈥檚 or novice permit.
鈥淚f you want to move on through the graduated licensing system, you might have to install the app and have this fob installed in your car to ensure you鈥檙e not using your phone when you鈥檙e driving,鈥� he said.
Eby said the technology could also be applied to people repeatedly ticketed for distracted driving, or offered to individuals who volunteer to use the app in exchange for a break on their insurance premiums.
Attorney General David Eby. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Meanwhile, ICBC is working with the government and police to test a $14,000 camera targeting drivers using smartphones.
The camera, equipped with Bluetooth, allows police to immediately share photos with other officers in the area.
Police can then pull the driver over and show them the picture.
鈥淲e hope that this will assist in two respects,鈥� Eby said.
鈥淥ne is that it will encourage police to do increased enforcement of distracted driving.
鈥淭he second is that it will provide instant feedback to drivers, as well as evidence, in the event that the driver challenges the police version of events or challenges the ticket.鈥�
Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said distracted driving kills more people on B.C. roads every year than impaired driving.
鈥淭hat is just a shocking statistic, and we鈥檙e taking it seriously, along with other provinces,鈥� he said.
鈥淎nd these measures today are another tool in the arsenal, if these pilots prove successful, to deal with the scourge that is distracted diving.鈥�
ICBC says distracted driving kills an average of eight people a year on 麻豆传媒映画Island, based on police statistics from 2011 to 2015.
