MLA Calls for Immediate Action on Distracted Drivers

29-Oct-2009

Whitehorse: Darius Elias, MLA for Vuntut Gwitchin, is continuing to pressure the Yukon Party government to
address the public safety threats posed by drivers distracted by cellular phones and other handheld devices.

“Yukoners continue to be subjected to the dangers of distracted drivers on our roadways,” Elias said. “This lack of action is disappointing, and characteristic, of the Minister of Highways and Public Works, Mr. Archie Lang. I have brought up this issue again and again and we still have not seen any action to protect Yukoners.”

The dangers of distracted drivers have been recognized by the dozens of jurisdictions nationally and globally that have limited or banned the use of hand-held devices while driving. Most recently, on October 26, 2009, the Province of Ontario put into effect a law prohibiting the use of any hand-held communication or entertainment device while driving.

Dialing and text-messaging are the most dangerous activities, Elias pointed out, with drivers who text-message twenty-three times more likely to be in an accident. Young drivers are particularly likely to get hurt as a result of using a cell phone while driving.

In the Legislative Assembly today, Elias will press the government to immediately conduct public consultations to examine the issue.

“The Minister has a responsibility to the public, to our youth, to everyone who shares our roads, to make them as safe as possible,” Elias says. “It’s time for Minister Lang to stop his foot dragging and step up to this responsibility.”

“I find it amazing that this Yukon Party government seems to have such a dismissive attitude towards a serious public safety issue,” Elias said. “Yukoners have valid concerns about distracted driving, and it’s time this government showed them the respect of listening to those concerns.”

Elias has spent the summer speaking with Yukoners and raising awareness about distracted driving. He has written to the Minister of Highways and Public Works but has received no response on the issue.

For additional information contact: Shay Smart 667-5081