N.B. studying cellphone driving bans

New Brunswick Public Safety Minister John Foran is defending the province's slow movement toward imposing restrictions on cellphone use while driving.

A new Ontario law came into effect Monday making it illegal for drivers to use hand-held cellphones, BlackBerrys and other electronic devices while behind the wheel.

Foran said his department is watching how bans are working in other provinces, but he is not prepared to follow suit yet.

"We're not at that point yet," Foran said.

"We want to make sure that when we do it, we get something that is enforceable."

Foran said the New Brunswick government will focus instead on public education and awareness about how dangerous distracted driving can be.

Insurance claims of estimated $129M

In 2007, the most recent year for which numbers are available, insurance claims as a result of auto collisions in New Brunswick amounted to more than $161 million.

An estimated $129 million of that would be due to distracted driving, said Bill Adams, regional vice-president for the Insurance Bureau of Canada in the Atlantic region. Eight out of 10 collisions involve a driver who isn't paying full attention to the road, he said.

"Mobile devices, electronic devices, are part of the whole distracted driving mix," Adams said.

"I think it's fair to say that the whole issue of distracted driving costs the insurance industry and in turn, consumers, billions of dollars in Canada."

Prince Edward Island also does not have any restrictions on using hand-held devices while driving.

Newfoundland and Labrador became the first province to ban the use of hand-held cellphones in 2003, while Quebec and Nova Scotia both moved earlier this year to stop drivers from using hand-held cellphones. Similar legislation has been introduced in British Columbia.

Saskatchewan and Alberta have also announced their intentions to table similar legislation this fall.

More than 50 countries and jurisdictions around the world have banned cellphone use while driving.