ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland, Canada—Newfoundland is poised to become the first province in Canada to ban motorists from using handheld cell phones while driving. The proposed ban is aimed at improving safety.
“We are convinced cell-phone use by drivers constitutes a serious diversion which must be discouraged,” Government Services Minister Walter Noel said when he tabled the bill in the legislature. “While all Canadian provinces are considering similar legislation, we are the first province to propose action.”
The ban would not apply to passengers or to drivers using hands-free headsets.
Similar laws have already been introduced in New York state and in 14 local jurisdictions in the United States, as well as 30 other countries worldwide. But the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) said it is bad drivers and unsafe driving practices, not cell phones, that pose the biggest dangers to motorists.
