Beginner Driver Education · Rules of the Road
Understanding Distracted Driving and Its Impact on Traffic Safety
Driviology Road Safety Education Team
What this actually means for you
This is the kind of rule that is easy to nod at in a classroom and then get wrong at a real intersection, so it pays to understand what it actually requires of you. Proper education and training are essential to minimize any losses due to distraction. On the road test, this is scored every single time it comes up — not once, but as a pattern across the whole drive.
Distracted Driving: Understanding the Risks and Laws in Ontario
Technological advancements have become one of the most significant concerns with distracted driving. The following are the most common activities that distract the driver from safely operating a vehicle. If not used appropriately, emerging technologies could severely impact traffic safety and driver behaviour. Proper education and training are essential to minimize any losses due to distraction.
Canada and many other governments worldwide have introduced new laws regarding handling these technological changes and their impacts. Dialling phone numbers, talking over mobile phones, texting, emailing, chatting, sharing content, and GPS while driving can cause demerit points, licence suspension, heavy fines, and serious injuries. It is the responsibility of all road users to adapt to these social changes and stay compliant with these new laws and regulations.
All ten provinces plus the Yukon, Northwest, and Nunavut territories now ban hand-held cell phones while driving. However, the penalties vary among these provinces and territories. (CAA, 2020)
(Source: https://tests.ca/driving-statistics/)
- Calling without Handsfree
- Text Reading or Email Reading
- Watching Videos
- Eating and or drinking, including coffee
- Smoking
- Pets or Animals
- Children or Passengers
- Personal Grooming
Distracted driving means an engagement in any activity that takes the driver’s attention away from the road.
Following are the three different kinds of distractions:
a) Visual distractions
Any activity that causes the driver to take their eyes off the road is checking the GPS or the child’s seatbelt in the rear seat.
Checking the GPS or checking a child’s seatbelt in the rear seat are activities that take the eyes off the road.
b) Manual distractions
These cause drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel. It could be checking the driver's mobile phone, drinking, changing the radio station, BlueTooth settings, or adjusting the temperature.
c) Cognitive distractions
Cognitive distractions occur when the driver's focus decreases. This could be due to stress, fatigue, or other emotional causes. Drivers must take it upon themselves to avoid being distracted while on the road. Being caught using a phone while driving in Canada could result in a hefty fine or a driver’s licence suspension.
Suppose authorities catch a person using a mobile phone in Canada. In that case, a hefty fine or a licence suspension could result.
New distractions are being added to the list every so often, so please review the link below to get the latest distraction regulations, fines and penalties:
Using this on Ontario roads — and on your road test
Ontario's rules are enforced as written, and 'everyone does it' is not a defence — rolling stops, creeping into crosswalks, and casual lane changes are everyday sights in Toronto traffic and everyday reasons people collect tickets and demerit points. The standard that keeps you safe is the same one examiners mark to: full stops, correct lanes chosen early, and signals that actually communicate something to the drivers around you. Drive to the rule, not to the traffic around you.
Questions drivers ask us
Can you explain distracted driving and its impact on traffic safety in simple terms?
Technological advancements have become one of the most significant concerns with distracted driving.
What happens if I get this wrong on the road?
It depends on the rule, but traffic offences in Ontario can bring a fine and demerit points, and they stay on your driving record. For new drivers the stakes are higher — repeat or serious offences can lead to a licence suspension, on top of what they do to your insurance.
Do I need to know this for the G1 written test too?
Yes — this is core G1 knowledge, and it is tested again in real life on the G2 and G road tests. The written test checks that you know the rule; the road test checks that you actually do it when nobody is prompting you.