The Dangers of Distracted Driving in Ontario

Although many of us heard about the bus driver in Toronto who was found on a Zoom call behind the wheel of his bus on Gardiner Expressway and may have had a good laugh about it, distracted driving isn’t a funny subject. In fact, it has become a very deadly one. Here in Ontario, distracted driving has now surpassed impaired driving as the number one cause of deaths on our roads, with one in five roadway fatalities caused by someone who was driving while distracted.

What Represents Driver Distractions?

According to the RCMP, distracted driving is defined as “a form of impaired driving as a driver’s judgment is compromised when they are not fully focused on the road.” These can include

• Talking on or using a cell phone
• Texting
• Reading
• Programming a GPS device
• Watching videos and movies
• Eating and drinking
• Smoking or vaping
• Personal grooming
• Adjusting the radio
• Listening to loud music
• Talking to passengers in the vehicle

What We Really See When We’re Driving

Since we have started studying distracted driving, neuroscience has offered some interesting data on what happens to us as we are driving. While we believe that what we see is like a video of our surroundings, in reality, how we see is in small bits with our eyes darting from image to image. We piece this together as the “video” in front of us.

When we add another task to this visual darting, our small shifts in vision now must include whatever is taking our attention inside the car. Each time we shift attention, the eyes and brain must refocus, especially when it goes back and forth between an interior space and an exterior space.

Distraction and Inattention Blindness

The Applied Cognition Laboratory in the United States has been studying technology and driving for some time using eye-tracking devices. In many cases, studies have shown that those who were talking on the phone, even while looking at objects in front of them, didn’t consciously “see” what they were looking at when their mental attention was elsewhere. Add to that drivers who have actually averted their eyes, and you have many drivers on our roads who are suffering from what the study called “inattention blindness.”

Distracted driving is not only unsafe, it is unlawful. If you have been injured by a distracted driver in Ontario, you may be entitled to compensation from the at-fault party. Contact the experienced Cambridge personal injury lawyers at Hilborn and Konduros for a free consultation to understand your legal rights to compensation for your injuries.