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Get your head out of your apps, OPP says to drivers

Sudbury Road Safety Committee launches distracted driving campaign

Keeping hands at ten and two seems to be an outdated idea as people struggle to keep their focus on the road while behind the wheel.

According to Greater Sudbury police Service, officers issued 145 provincial offences in 2017 for use of handheld communication devices while driving. As of June 6, 2018, officers have issued 180 provincial offences.

"One person is injured every 30 minutes due to distracted driving in Ontario," City of Greater Sudbury's traffic and asset management supervisor Joe Rocca said in a press release. "Statistics tell us that approximately 37 per cent of adults over 18-years-old in Sudbury and surrounding areas reported talking on a cell phone while driving."

Rocca, along with fellow representatives from the Sudbury Road Safety Committee gathered today to launch a distracted driving campaign.

The launch was held at the Sudbury OPP station on Hwy. 69 south, complete with a wrecked pick-up truck that served as a reminder of what can happen as a result of distracted driving.

"The crashed truck you see here was involved in a collision in the southern part of the province. The driver was inattentive and drove into the back of a tractor trailer," OPP community safety officer Carmel McDonald said. "No one was killed in this collision, however, had there had been a passenger in this vehicle there surely would have been a fatality."

Distracted driving refers to all forms of distracted or inattentive driving such as adjusting the volume on the radio, operating a GPS, eating or drinking and using a handheld device or attending to children in the back seat.

The Sudbury Road Safety Committee are calling on all citizens of Greater Sudbury and surrounding districts to be proactive in keeping the roads safe by keeping your attention on the road. This includes setting a good example by driving distracted free and reminding friends and family to do the same.