Melody learned a very difficult lesson this week so that YOU don’t have to:
1) Bridge Patrol can give out tickets for any driving infractions
2) You cannot, under any circumstances, have a phone in your hand
Melody was crossing the MacKay bridge around 1pm with Google Maps going on her phone, the navigation on speaker. Cars were moving slowly, when all of a sudden Melody was stopped by someone standing next to her who said, “YOU’RE ON YOUR PHONE!” In confusion, Melody looked to her right at the person peering into her car and realised it was Bridge Patrol.
Melody attempted to explain, “Sir, I’m not on my phone, it’s my google maps and it is on speaker – look, I’m just holding it so I can hear it better,” showing him the google maps navigation screen. Still, he told her to pull over and proceeded to give her a ticket for distracted driving – at a cost of $237 dollars and 4 demerit points.
Nova Scotia has been getting tougher on people who use cell phones while driving. In 2015, they increased fines for using hand held cell phones, and demerit points are added upon conviction.
Nova Scotia actually has some of the strongest fines for hand held cell phone use in the country!
Nearly three out of four Canadians admit to driving distracted, which can include:
In Nova Scotia, the distracted driving laws are as follows:
Facts are Facts: According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), distracted driving can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence. You’re also 23 times more likely to crash if you text and drive.
So, the moral of the story seems clear: Do not drive while distracted, and ‘distracted’ can mean many different things – even talking to a passenger in your car.
Melody does hope to have her day in court to explain the situation – MAYBE it will help, maybe not – but she accepts it if this just ends up being a very expensive lesson learned. She tells you allllll about it on the Melody & Forman podcast: