Province says no plans to match legislation in other province

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BY GREG WESTON
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

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FREDERICTON - Despite a growing pile of evidence that people talking on cellphones are less aware of their surroundings and an ever-increasing list of provinces that have banned mobile devices behind the wheel, the government of New Brunswick has no immediate plans to follow suit.

The latest study comes from Western Washington University, located north of Seattle, which shows that people talking on cellphones are unaware of their surroundings -- to the point where they didn't notice a clown ride past on a unicycle as they walked down the street.

Only 25 per cent of people chatting on their phones noticed the clown, while more than half of those walking alone, listening to portable music players or walking in pairs observed the unusual sight.

Ira Hyman, the psychology professor who performed the research, says it's further proof of the distracting effect of cellphones.

"If people experience so much difficulty performing the task of walking when on a cell phone, just think of what this means when put into the context of driving safety," he said in a press release.

"People should not drive while talking on a cell phone."

A July study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that text messaging while driving increased the risk of a crash by 23 times, as drivers would have their eyes on their screens -- and off of the road -- for up to five seconds at a time.

The province says there are no immediate plans to change New Brunswick's laws, even as evidence suggesting the dangers of talking and driving continues to build.

"We are aware of all the studies being done," says Lisa Harrity, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety. "New Brunswick's focus has been on public education and awareness. At this point we're monitoring what other jurisdictions are doing and seeing how they're making out with them."

On Wednesday, British Columbia tabled a bill that would, if passed, make it illegal to talk, text, e-mail or operate an MP3 player while driving.

A ban on using hand-held phones for any purpose comes into effect in Ontario on Monday, joining Nova Scotia, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as states like New York and California, in prohibiting drivers' use of phones.

While Harrity says the province is monitoring the effectiveness of legislation elsewhere, she says there are concerns about enforcing a ban.

"You need to make sure that when you put legislation in place, it's going to be enforceable and practical," she says.

"We know that there have been some changes in other provinces and a number of Canadian jurisdictions are doing this. We want to deal with driver distraction in the most effective manner that we can."