Ontario residents beware: talking on your phone while driving is now a no-go. They’re also talking about taking away your iPod and other handheld devices while you drive, too, though that legislation is a bit further back in the pipe. Though, right now, according to The Toronto Star, you can no longer use your cell phone or blackberry while driving, or any hand-held GPS device (though apparently you may continue to use dashboard-mounted devices and hands-free cell phones).

Now, as someone who cannot SMS and walk to save my life, let alone manage a cell phone and drive, this seems like an eminently reasonable sort of ban. It’s not really that difficult to get into a car accident- like it or not, no matter how good a driver you are, there are many accidents that are just unavoidable. Distracted driving is just silly- you simply cannot respond as quickly to things like that deer, that four year old, that hairpin turn, when your mind is focused on typing a message on a 9-key keyboard with an inch-and-a-half square screen.

So, while I can sympathize, that it’s nice and convenient to be able to gab on the phone and drive, talking on a cell phone while driving is likely to land you a big ticket now, so I’d suggest laying off.

Of course, the Telecom industry has their PR people out doing some sort of opposition to this. Marc Choma, a spokesperson for the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, thinks folks should use common sense. He also said, “The cellphone isn’t designed to broker your mortgage or speak with your divorce lawyer while you’re driving down the Don Valley. People should avoid unnecessary calls.”

Which, while reasonable, is obviously not what happens in real life. So, hopefully you can manage to leave the phone in your purse/pocket/whatever, or find some hands-free solution, and avoid a moving violation in the near future.

Distracted Driving PSA