A 16-year-old race car driver says that if he took his eyes off the road for a second, there could be serious consequences, but that’s no different for anyone else.
Parker Thompson is on a mission across Alberta to share his message on staying focused when you’re behind the wheel.
“By educating a new generation of Albertans about the dangers of distracted driving, we can prevent a lot of collisions before they happen,” Thompson says in a released.
The province says that they’re proud that someone as young as Parker is taking this initiative on.
“These students are our next generation of drivers and Parker is taking the initiative to share valuable lessons so others can develop good behaviours before getting behind the wheel. These students are seeing how a split-second decision can change lives forever,” said Minister of Transportation Wayne Drysdale in a release.
Officials say that distracted driving accounts for 20 to 30 percent of all crashes and those distracted drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a crash.
Quick facts about distracted driving
- If you’re traveling 100 km/h, you will travel the length of a football field in the time it takes to send a text message (approximately five seconds)
- Since the legislation came into effect there were 60,216 convictions for distracted driving in Alberta (September 1, 2011 through March 31, 2014)
- There were 25,913 convictions for distracted driving in Alberta last year (April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014)
- 96 percent of these convictions were for using a hand-held electronic device while driving
- Male drivers account for two-thirds of all convictions
- Young male drivers, aged 22 to 34 years, have the highest conviction rates
The fine for being caught while driving distracted is $172.
