Since distracted driving is deemed as dangerous as impaired driving, it is commendable that police are stepping up efforts to nab people who are using hand-held communication devices while driving.
Unfortunately, these efforts are proving to be in vain, because the punishment does not fit the crime. After all, the police do not issue $167 tickets to impaired drivers then send them driving off on their merry way.
Accordingly, the penalty for drivers caught talking on a cellphone or texting should be a choice of either having their communication device seized or their driver’s license suspended for 24 hours. I am certain that the prevalence of drivers ignoring the law would then diminish considerably.
Darryl Green
Saanich
