MVC Patrol Notes (Week 3) Mountain View County is pleased to offer Patrol Notes, a weekly column dedicated to the hot topics of the day pertaining to rules of the road from the first-person perspective of the County’s Patrol Department. My name is Rob Ridley and I am one of Mountain View Countys Community Peace Officers that makes up the Patrol Department Last week, we posed the question; Where am I allowed to use my phone / electronics in my car? I have to wear two hats on this one. First, my safety hat. While hands free / Bluetooth use of a phone is legal, it is simply not safe. It is still a mental distraction. When was the last time you missed your turn while you were talking hands free? Safety hat off. If you are the driver of the vehicle, the only place you can use or even hold handheld electronic devices is while you are parked in a place where it is legal to park. This sounds simple, but in rural areas, it is not legal to park on the highway, so pulling over to answer the call is not acceptable. There a few exceptions, like 911. This legislation covers much more than phones. Also prohibited are personal grooming, paper reading materials such as maps or note taking, and a broad interpretation which could include pets. You can have a coffee or a chocolate bar, but you cant eat chow mien with chopsticks while driving. Things between these extremes are up to the officers discretion and your good judgement. It would be so nice if all laws were black and white, but this one - like most - allows for reasonable discretion and interpretation. Did you know is illegal to use your debit card at the drive-through? Of course, no officer would ever write that charge - the court would serve up his hide for breakfast. I believe if police and drivers exercise common sense, this can be productive and effective legislation. Alberta Transport has an excellent summary at transportation.alberta.ca/distracteddriving.htm Next week: “Vehicle Equipment Regulation”
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 15:39:09 +0000
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