Category: Cell Phones and Texting

Halifax has the Worst Drivers in Canada: AllState Insurance Report

by John McKiggan

According to a new report released by Insurance Company AllState Canada looking at communities across the country drivers in Halifax have the highest collision rate in the country. In other words, we have more accidents per capita than any of the communities across the country that were studied.

The AllState Canada safe driving study ranked Spruce Grove Alberta as the safest place to drive in Canada with a collision rate of 3.43% per 100 cars. Halifax ranked dead last in the study with a collision rate of 7.12% per 100 cars.

The representative from AllState insurance, Deanna Lumax speculated that the increase in collisions in Halifax may have been due to the terrible driving conditions we had as a result of our brutal winter last year as well as the increasing use of cell phones and distracted driving.

“Holding” a cell phone will get you fined for distracted driving in Nova Scotia: The Queen v. Cullen Edward MacDonald

by John McKiggan

Are you “using” your cell phone if you are just holding it?

That’s the question that was before the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia this week. In a decision released yesterday: The Queen v. Cullen Edward MacDonald, Justice Chipman of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled on Section 100D (1) of the Motor Vehicle Act with respect to you what it means to “use” a handheld cellular telephone.

Texting and driving

Nova Scotia Car Accident Claims – Hands Free Cell Phones Don’t Reduce Traffic Risks

by John McKiggan

I was driving to work this morning and some lady talking on her cell phone almost sideswiped me when she swerved into my lane of traffic. She wasn’t holding the cell phone. She was using a headset. But she didn’t have a clue about the rush hour traffic that was surrounding her.

Hand Held Cell Phone Ban
It has now been three years since Nova Scotia introduced its law requiring drivers to use hands free cell phones.

However, recent research suggests that the use of hands free cell phones does not reduce the risk associated with cell phones and traffic safety.