The B.C. government is considering imposing stricter penalties on distracted drivers as collisions across the province continue to surge.
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Criminal defence lawyer Paul Doroshenko says increased fines, however, don’t necessarily deter people from breaking the law.
“The whole idea here is to deter people — we just don’t want people to pick up their phones and be distracted,” said Doroshenko. “The problem that I see is that we never see the follow-through on enforcement.”
Doroshenko says increased penalties don’t necessarily deter drivers from using their phones behind the wheel.
“People don’t think about the morality of the crime, they think about their self-interest. And their self-interest is not getting caught.”
He says having more officers on the ground to actively seek out distracted drivers and enforce penalties would prove more effective.
“The governments are great at passing the laws, but not great at giving the police the money they need to enforce the laws.
Read the full interview with Paul Doroshenko on CBC:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-eyes-stricter-distracted-driving-penalties-as-collisions-surge-1.4304860