June saw a province-wide campaign called “D.O.N.T.”! launched by the Ontario Brain Injury Association, along with affiliated community brain injury associations across Ontario for Brain Injury Awareness month. The campaign was designed to raise awareness of the dangers of motor vehicle accidents caused by texting or talking on a cell phone while driving. Distracted driving is already against the law but unfortunately statistics – and the rate of brain injuries caused by them – show that these practices are still all too common.
Radio public service announcements, posters, t-shirts, social media and various events spread the message of the D.O.N.T. message, asking people to pledge to keep the phone turned off while driving.
There are about 18,000 brain injuries in Ontario each year, a staggering number and it is considered the leading cause of death and disability for people under the age of 44. For people under the age of 20, it’s responsible for more deaths than all the other causes combined. While motor vehicle accidents due to texting or talking on a cell phone only form a portion of those statistics, it’s part and parcel of the same set of behaviours that results in so many fatal and serious accidents.
The Facts:
- 40% of Acquired Brain Injury survivors were injured in a motor vehicle accident (2012 OBIA Impact Report)
- Distracted driving is reported as a factor in 30-50% of traffic collisions in Ontario, however the OPP believe that number is actually much higher
- When you text while you drive, it’s the same as driving blind (VA. Tech Transportation Institute). In three seconds, at sixty kilometres per hour you will travel 50 metres—blind (Ontario Ministry of Transportation). A lot can happen in that distance.
Safety First
The law is sound and designed to protect innocent people from injury due to distracted driving. We urge you to turn your phone off while you drive – nothing is more important than your safety and that of your passengers.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident due to distracted driving or any other cause, let us help.
We Focus On Car & Motor Vehicle Accidents
Petrillo Law has been providing competent, caring legal advice to car accident victims in Mississauga, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and across Ontario for over 20 years. We can evaluate a case to determine whether it meets the provincial threshold required to start a lawsuit as well as represent injured people who have been denied accident benefits by their own insurance company.
Leave a Reply