A Toronto-area MPP will be tabling a private member’s bill today that aims to fine pedestrians for using cellphones or other electronic devices while crossing the street.
The bill, called the ‘Phones Down, Heads Up Act,’ will be introduced today at Queen’s Park by Etobicoke Centre Liberal MPP Yvan Baker.
“It came about really because constituents from my community in Etobicoke Centre approached me and they were concerned about the number of pedestrians that were getting killed on the road,” Baker told CP24 Monday morning.
Baker said inattentive pedestrians are more likely to be involved in a collision than those who are paying attention to their surroundings.
Baker added that a 2010 report by the Chief Coroner of Ontario found that seven per cent of pedestrian fatalities involved distracted pedestrians using cellphones or MP3 players.
“This is not a question of who is at fault. It you area aware of your surroundings, you are able to respond to what’s happening around you, whether it is your fault that you are in that situation or someone else’s fault,” Baker said.
The bill would include exceptions for people using a device to contact emergency services and for people who started a call before entering the roadway.
Incremental fines for infractions would start at $50 for the first offence, $75 for the second offence and $125 for the third offence.
A provision of the bill also allows municipalities to opt out if they wish.
Honolulu, Hawaii recently passed a similar law, which came into effect last week.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Premier Kathleen Wynne called Baker’s bill “an interesting idea."
"There are stop signs on all of these cross streets. One hundred years ago there were no stop signs... There were no cell phones 100 years ago and so now we’ve got this new technology that is changing behaviour," Wynne said.
"If it is changing behaviour to the point where people are at risk… then I think we need to look at the laws."
She added she is "interested" to hear the debate on the topic.
“The number of people I see walking in the middle of a big intersection with their face down looking at their phone, I think it is incredibly dangerous,” Wynne said.
"Here’s what’s happened because Yvan Baker has brought this legislation forward, we are having this conversation... I think that’s almost as important is that we have the conversation and that people think about the actions that they’re taking and talk to their kids about what they are doing."
In a statement released Monday, NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo said Baker's bill aims to "blame pedestrians for collision with vehicles."
"Rather than help keep vulnerable road users safe, this Liberal government is blaming victims for being struck by a driver. This bill is victim blaming, and is a step backwards for public safety," the statement read.
But Baker said the intent of the bill is simply to keep pedestrians safe.
“To me, this is not about blaming anybody. This is really about saving lives," he said. "If we can save one life a year, to me it’s worth it.”
