Guy Ouellette with the Insurance Bureau of Canada, left, and Sgt. Evan Scott of the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force unveil a new distracted driving simulator on Aug. 22, 2019. (Photo: Brad Perry/Wave News)
The Kennebecasis Regional Police Force is using technology to teach students about the dangers of distracted driving.
A new distracted driving simulator has been donated to the police force by the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
It was unveiled to the media during an event at the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force headquarters last week.
Sgt. Evan Scott, who heads up the traffic unit, said students will be able to experience the effects of distracted driving instead of just hearing facts.
“Those a lot of the times go in one ear and out the other, they don’t fathom the extent of what could happen,” said Scott. “But when they’re sitting behind a simulator and experiencing it, that’s a different story.”
Scott said distracted driving is a growing problem in the Kennebecasis Valley among younger and older drivers alike. He noted the force has issued 23 per cent more distracted driving tickets this year than they did in all of 2018.
“It’s not just you that you’re endangering, it’s me, everybody else in the car, and everybody else on the road,” Scott said. “You drive down the road today and there’s not one occurrence that you don’t see somebody or more than one other person talking on a cell phone and it’s blatant, they don’t hide it.”
The Kennebecasis Regional Police Force is using technology to teach students about the dangers of distracted driving. A distracted driving simulator has been donated by the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Here’s Insp. Anika Becker trying it out. @KRPFTraffic pic.twitter.com/oN5BLA71y5
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) August 22, 2019
The biggest road safety concern for most Canadians now is texting and driving, he said, adding it is slowly taking its place over impaired driving.
Scott said you are eight times more likely to be involved in a collision or near-collision when texting and four times more likely when talking on the phone.
Guy Ouellette with the Insurance Bureau of Canada said there is nothing important enough to put people at risk of serious injury, or worse.
“One decision is all it takes to change a life forever,” said Ouellette. “Our partnership with the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force intends to bring the severity of that single decision to life.”
Scott said education is an important part of reducing distracted driving but he also wants to see higher fines in New Brunswick.
“If you look around the country, different provinces have much higher fines and point losses,” he said. “A lot of the times when we stop people it’s like ‘how many points do I lose’ it’s not ‘what’s the fine’. If they lose their points, they don’t drive.”
The simulator will be taken to local schools and community events, among other places.
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