CRTC supports the "Leave the Phone Alone" road safety awareness campaign

OTTAWA and GATINEAU, QC, Dec. 4, 2014 /CNW/ - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today announced its support for the "Leave the Phone Alone" road safety awareness campaign initiated by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA).

The CRTC urges Canadians to use their mobile devices responsibly and to avoid talking on the phone, texting or checking messages on social media networks while driving.

According to the CCMTA, drivers who use hand‑held devices when they are behind the wheel are four times more likely to be involved in an accident serious enough to cause injury, and in 80% of collisions, the driver had looked away from the road three seconds prior to the crash.

The CRTC encourages all Canadians to join in with the organizations and individuals that support this campaign.

National Safe Driving Week is from December 1 to 7, 2014.

Quick facts

• The CRTC is committed to ensuring that Canadians have access to, and are at the centre of, a world‑class communication system.
• The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators invites Canadians to rethink the way they drive with the safe driving awareness campaign "Leave the Phone Alone."
• The CRTC supports this awareness campaign.
• The CRTC urges Canadians to endorse the "Leave the Phone Alone" campaign.

Quote

"With more than 28 million wireless subscribers in Canada, the use of mobile devices has been growing fast. We encourage Canadians to put them aside when they are behind the wheel. A moment of inattention can cause a serious accident and change lives. We are therefore proud to support the Leave the Phone Alone campaign and urge all wireless service providers to do the same."

Jean-Pierre Blais, CRTC Chairman

Related links
Leave the Phone Alone

These documents are available in alternative format upon request.

SOURCE: Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

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