OPP catches 4 more distracted drivers on Ottawa highways
Ontario Provincial Police say four drivers were charged with distracted driving on Ottawa highways on Friday. (OPP/X)
Ontario Provincial Police continue to hang up on distracted drivers on highways across Ottawa.
OPP Const. Michael Fathi says four drivers were caught using a handheld device while driving on Friday.
Each driver faces $615 fine for using a handheld device while driving, three demerit points, and a three-month driving suspension upon conviction.
'Insurance companies look at distracted driving convictions on your driving record to be the same as if you were convicted of impaired driving,' Fathi said. 'It's not worth the cost.'
Last week, the OPP used a 'spotter vehicle' to catch 21 people for distracted driving on Ottawa highways.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
28 minutes ago
- National Post
'They can't stop themselves': How compulsive smartphone use is like an addiction
Anita Hagh couldn't stop pressing the corner of her phone screen where the Facebook app used to be. Article content It was about five years ago, and she had deleted the social media platform from her cellphone. Article content Article content It was like muscle memory, she says, having clicked on the app countless times so she could scroll for hours through random online groups. Article content She realized she had been losing out on sleep while scrolling and made the difficult decision to delete the app. Article content Article content 'After deleting it, I was very much thinking it was still there, kind of like a phantom limb situation,' said the 28-year-old post-doctoral researcher at McGill University's department of integrated studies in education. Article content Article content Hagh, who is researching the addictive nature of social media, said she believes she was likely experiencing what's called 'problematic smartphone use' or phone addiction. Article content Jay Olson, a post-doctoral researcher in the University of Toronto's psychology department, led a 2023 global study that surveyed more than 50,000 people about their smartphone habits. Article content He said it's an emerging problem. Article content 'Normal smartphone use would become problematic when it starts negatively affecting your daily life and in different ways,' said Olson. Article content 'It might make you feel depressed. It might be interfering with your sleep or your concentration.' Article content Some young adults are showing symptoms of problematic smartphone use, Olson said, as they've never seen a world without phones or have spent most of their lives with the devices. Article content Article content '(They) haven't grown up using smartphones and social media for the majority of their free time throughout the day,' he said. Article content Article content Venture Academy, a private school for troubled teens with locations in Barrie, Ont., and Red Deer, Alta., offers treatment for problems including 'electronic addiction.' Article content Gary Su, a clinical therapist with the school, said in an interview from Calgary that smartphone use has made the lives of many of his young clients more complex. Article content 'We are seeing a very unique phenomenon,' he said. 'Things seem to be a lot more volatile or more extreme. Kids are exposed to things just way too early for their age. And it's harder to trace, because everything online is anonymous.'
National Post
28 minutes ago
- National Post
Julian Somers: Victoria's Pandora Avenue is a hive of misery. But as its name suggests, there's hope
Victoria B.C.'s Pandora Avenue is living up to its name. Greek mythology tells the story of Pandora's Box being opened, unleashing untold misery on the world. Only one thing remained in the Box. Article content A recent Globe and Mail article illustrates the rapid downward spiral of Pandora's street-level chaos, juxtaposing addiction and other forms of mental illness and the surrounding neighbourhood's despair over lawlessness, crime, violence and the frustration of their, so far, failed efforts to help to strengthen the community. The article dubbed the area one of the 'largest open-air drug markets in Western Canada.' Article content Article content Pandora's 900 Block is steps from the Ministry of Health headquarters, which I've been visiting for my work on addiction and homelessness since the 90s. Last year, I spoke with people living rough, on and around Pandora. Their stories reflect familiar, well-documented themes involving adversity, social isolation, and the experience that public services keep people stuck in a revolving door. A report commissioned by the BC Solicitor General revealed that repeated criminal sentencing and addiction began increasing markedly in BC around 2013. Drug poisoning is now the leading cause of death among youth in BC, two-thirds of whom were current or past clients of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. B.C.'s overall rate of drug-related deaths is about double the Canadian average. Article content Article content Meanwhile, the social consequences of our public policies have metastasized. Stores have closed, tourists stay away, and people are afraid to leave their homes, or move into newly built affordable rentals amidst tent cities on the sidewalks. A desperately needed childcare facility planned to be built at 930 Pandora will struggle to attract clients to the area when completed in 2029. First responders stopped entering the area without a police escort after a paramedic was brutally attacked last year. Homeowners, like those in other B.C. neighbourhoods have seen their quality of life and their home equity decline. Per the Globe: 'We can't sell. We can't move. We can't walk our dogs. We can't walk to the grocery store.' As former NDP MLA and current Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said in 2020: 'There are many people who live in hell on our streets. And they are making it hell for many others.' Article content Article content Heralding the anticipated benefits of drug decriminalization and 'safe supply,' B.C.'s Provincial Health Officer wrote in 2019: 'As overdoses become more pervasive both domestically and worldwide, jurisdictions are looking to BC for leadership and guidance. The stage is set for the province to meet this call.' Article content Article content Instead, BC has become a national embarrassment and an international model of what not to do. Our policies prioritize providing publicly-funded drugs to people living in poverty, while demanding that citizens tolerate drug use in an increasing array of settings. Evidence from randomized trials has confirmed that B.C.'s 'low barrier' congregate housing has resulted in preventable crime and medical emergencies.
CTV News
39 minutes ago
- CTV News
Police search for woman missing in Barrie
Barrie Police are reporting a missing woman in Barrie. According to police, 33-year-old Mariah was last seen on the night of June 6 around 10:00 p.m. in the area of Essa Road and Fairview Road. Anyone with information about her whereabouts are urged to call Barrie Police.
