Global Regina reporter Rylee Carlson joined the RCMP this morning to participate in a demonstration on how hard it is to text and drive.
Here is what Rylee thought of the demonstration:
“Whgere to go fir foins kewhg is oikj foir nme. Yoy?b”
Looking back, I have no idea what that text message was supposed to say. Driving on a closed course in an RCMP vehicle at just 50 kph - while texting – was far more harrowing than I expected, and probably pretty confusing for my sister, Cristy, who received that text.
Today the RCMP, Regina Police Service and Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) put on their brave faces and allowed media members to text and drive on a closed course, so we could all see just how dangerous it really is. The experience was eye opening to say the least.
After swerving off the road, over the double solid centre line and dangerously close to pedestrians in a video simulator, it was time to buckle up in the real deal police car and take it for a spin. The first thing I noticed was how difficult it is to drive the speed limit when texting, I consistently held the gas 15kph slower while trying to text. I guess trying to type made the car feel like it was going faster. Then there was the rolling stops, missed yield signs (and playground zone signs, sorry imaginary children!), and nearly clipped semi trucks. All of which were embarrassingly pointed out to me while my cameraman Sean Lerat, laughed in the backseat.
In Saskatchewan alone, nearly 8,500 collisions were attributed to distracted driving in 2010. Those crashes killed 61 people. The number of people ticked for using their cell phone behind the wheel nearly doubled from 2010 to 2011, and law enforcement say people just don’t seem to be getting the message.
While there were a lot of laughs on the closed course (as you’ll see in the video), in real life, paying attention behind the wheel is no joke. And when I look at how bad some of the messages I sent were… I’m pretty sure those I was texting could wait until I’m parked to get a memo they can actually read.
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