February 27, 2012 by Canadian Underwriter
Police in Manitoba have handed out more than 500 handheld, cell phone or texting traffic violations throughout the province thus far in 2012.
Even so, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) cites a recent survey showing that even though drivers have been prohibited from texting and using a cell phone as of July 2010, drivers still continue to do so.
“We’re challenging Manitoba drivers to put down their hand held devices,” Ted Hlynsky, vice president of claims control and safety operations at Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI). “The statistics are eye opening.
“A texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a collision than the non-texting driver. Statistics from 2010 report that 38% of fatal crashes in Manitoba have distracted or careless driving as a contributing factor.”
Earlier this month, Manitoba’s public auto insurer announced it was providing $120,000 in funding to police agencies Winnipeg Police Service, RCMP and Brandon Police Service to conduct target, dedicated enforcement towards distracted drivers during February.
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