SARAH BRUCE
The Omega – Thompson River University

KAMLOOPS, B.C. (CUP) ”“ Drivers in Saskatchewan and B.C. no longer have handheld cell phone privileges in their vehicles — no talking into, looking at or even holding the phone will be permitted.

On Jan. 1, 2010, a change to the British Columbia Motor Vehicle Act came into force, prohibiting the use of electronic devices while driving in order to make the roads safer from distracted drivers.

A similar law also came into effect in Saskatchewan at the turn of the decade.

“In the new year, all motorists will have to adjust their driving habits to comply with the new hand-held cellphone law,” wrote June Draude, the minister responsible for Saskatchewan Government Insurance. “The best way to handle any call is to safely pull over on the side of the road to answer your phone or let voice mail pick it up.”

In Saskatchewan, drivers will be charged $280 and lose four demerit points if caught.

Experienced drivers in both provinces will still be allowed to have use of hands-free electronics that can be activated by a single press of a button, or are expected to pull off to the side of the road — when it is safe to do so — in order to receive or make a call, text or change a song on their music player.

New drivers in B.C. and Saskatchewan have a full ban on electronic usage while driving.
Ontario recently put a similar texting law into place. In early January, the mayor of Fredericton, N.B. called on his province of New Brunswick to introduce legislation banning texting and driving.

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