Kingston Police Traffic Safety Unit incorporates drone technology to address distracted driving

The Kingston Police Traffic Safety Unit is finding additional uses for its collision reconstruction drone to combat distracted driving and make local roadways safer.

On Wednesday, May 7^th the Traffic Safety Unit, along with assistance from a traffic-oriented Uniform Patrol officer, conducted cell phone blitzes at three different locations within the city: Division St at John Counter Blvd, Sir John A. Macdonald Blvd at John Counter Blvd, and Highway 15 at Gore Rd.

Employing a new tactic for the first time in Kingston, the Traffic Safety Unit received Nav Canada authorization to operate its drone, a DJI Matrice 300, in these areas for the purpose of roadway enforcement. The drone has been in use since 2021 and is normally brought into service for collision reconstructions, missing persons, fleeing or hiding suspects, and large-scale events like Queen’s Homecoming, the solar eclipse, and more.  

During the distracted driving enforcement blitz, the drone operator would use the zoom camera to record video while looking for cell phone use by drivers at these intersections. Once observed, details and direction of the vehicles and drivers were given over the radio to nearby waiting officers in police cruisers, where they would make an immediate stop and consequently issue an offence notice for the Highway Traffic Act charge of using a hand-held communication device while operating a motor vehicle.

A total of 20 distracted driving tickets were laid over the day, in addition to an electric bike found not to be in proper working order and a driver failing to produce their insurance card. A first conviction of using your cell phone when driving carries a minimum $615 fine, three demerit points against your driving record, a 3-day driver’s licence suspension, followed by a Service Ontario reinstatement fee of $281, and could have consequences on insurance premiums. For novice drivers, instead of demerit points being applied, they face longer suspensions in the form of a 30-day suspension for a first conviction.    

Tips to avoid distracted driving include:

• Before putting your vehicle into motion and entering onto a public roadway, set your destination and listening choice (music, podcasts, etc.) from your phone in advance. Once on your way you cannot manipulate the phone, even when stopped or if it’s mounted on the dash. At that point you are limited to voice commands or hands-free Bluetooth functionality. Many excuses heard by police is that the driver was changing either their mapping directions or their music when seen with the phone in their hands.   
• Many drivers still seem surprised when advised by police they cannot manipulate their phones when stopped at a red light, or that even when dash-mounted you are limited to a single touch to answer a call, while these regulations have been in effect for years. One commercial driver was seen at a red light touching and manipulating their dash-mounted phone for over a minute. These actions still pose a danger when stopped, with distracted drivers not paying attention to crossing pedestrians or cyclists, delaying their advancement into an intersection, causing confusion and frustration to other drivers, not observing approaching emergency response vehicles, and more.  
• Do not take photographs or videos with your phone while driving, especially at collision scenes where police, tow operators, and others are out on foot and are vulnerable, especially when motorists are distracted.  
• If you do need to access your phone the vehicle needs to be pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway, away from any live lanes, must come to a complete stop, and cannot interfere with traffic flow. Calling 9-1-1 is an exemption to these rules, but if one can safely pull over to the side of the road that is the recommendation.
• To avoid temptation, turn off your phone or put it into ‘Do No Disturb’ mode. If you have a passenger have them answer phone calls, messages, or other features.   
• It is not just phones but other forms of technology like third-party, non-integrated GPS, and for commercial drivers their electronic delivery tablets or devices that meet the definition of a communication device.
• While not automatically an offence, other forms of distracted driving, if observed by police to deviate from the reasonable and prudent operation of their motor vehicle, or results in a collision, like eating a meal with utensils, applying makeup, etc., could result in a separate charge of Careless Driving, which carries a minimum $490 fine and six demerit points upon conviction.   

Additional information on distracted driving in Ontario can be found here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/distracted-driving