An Oakville driving instructor has been charged with distracted driving after Halton Regional Police allege he was texting while behind the wheel. The instructor was nabbed this morning on Dundas Street East near Ninth Line in Oakville. According to Halton Regional Police Const. Marc Taraso the licenced instructor in the Toyota “pleaded ignorance of the law” and was issued a $615 ticket and three demerit points sometime around 11 a.m.. “This one terrifies me,” Taraso said. Halton police have nabbed several distracted drivers in Oakville today and Taraso has a strong message for motorists.
“Put the phone down,” he said. These traffic stops are occurring as part of Project Safe Start, an annual initiative here in Halton focused on road safety before school starts back up. Halton Police have also been staging blitz’s against operator of cars with noisy mufflers or no mufflers
The Ontario Government website provides the following information on distracted driving:.
While you are driving, including when you are stopped in traffic or at a red light, it is illegal to:
- use a phone or other hand-held wireless communication device to text or dial – you can only touch a device to call 911 in an emergency
- use a hand-held electronic entertainment device, such as a tablet or portable gaming console
- view display screens unrelated to driving, such as watching a video
- program a GPS device, except by voice commands
- You are allowed to use hands-free wireless communications devices with an earpiece, lapel button or Bluetooth. You can view GPS display screens as long as they are built into your vehicle’s dashboard or securely mounted on the dashboard.
- Other actions such as eating, drinking, grooming, smoking, reading and reaching for objects are not part of Ontario’s distracted driving law. However, you can still be charged with careless or dangerous driving.
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