The Toronto Police Service (TPS) has announced the start of its ‘That Text or Call Could End It All’ distracted driving safety campaign.
Until Sunday, February 26th, 2017, police will be be doubling down on looking out for all dangerous activities associated with distracted driving, such as talking or texting.
The initiative will incorporate the use of a hearse and both undercover and fully marked police vehicles.
According to data collected in 2013, one person is injured in a distracted driving collision every half hour, with drivers using phones being four times more likely to crash than those who do not. Penalties for distracted driving include fines between $490 to $1,000 and three demerit points. Novice drivers can have their licenses suspended.
Since 2011, the TPS says it has laid over 109,000 charges for distracted driving related offences.
People can report non-emergency issues, such as collisions, using the Toronto Police Service app on Android. The iOS version is currently unavailable on the App Store.
Image credit: Vimeo – FMHS The Buzz TV
Source: Toronto Police Services
