The majority of Canadians included in a new survey said they think texting while driving should be a criminal offence, although they saw other distracted driving behaviour as less serious.
In the survey of about 1,500 Canadian drivers released Tuesday and commissioned by Kanetix.ca, 84% said texting and driving should be criminal.
When asked about using a phone generally while driving, 73% said that should be a criminal offence.
“There are many habits that most drivers are guilty of that could have severe consequences,” Sean Graham, principal broker at KANETIX.ca noted in a press release.
“For example, texting at a red light can result in a ticket fine of $280, plus an insurance premium increase, which is typically an average increase of $75 per year in Ontario. And this conviction stays on a person’s record for three years. Not to mention the possibility of an accident because you are no longer paying attention to the road.”