Yukon MLAs want to limit drivers' cellphone use

Politicians on both sides of the Yukon legislature are proposing restricting cellphone use behind the wheel.

Yukon Party MLA Steve Nordick and Liberal MLA Darius Elias each put forward their own motions in the legislative assembly on Thursday, calling for a ban on the use of handheld devices while driving.

"I'm not worried about it being popular; I'm worried about a vehicle full of teenagers [using cellphones]," Elias told CBC News outside the legislature. "It's very dangerous.

"I hope that we are not the last jurisdiction to address this public-safety issue, that we address it quickly."

The proposed legislation would be similar to bans already in place in other provinces. British Columbia is also set to pass its own ban on cellphones while driving.

Only a few months ago, Yukon government officials said there were no plans to ban the use of handheld devices by motorists, as it was not something the public was asking for.

Elias said Yukoners should definitely be consulted first but that a ban is needed and inevitable.

"You know, those are basically handheld computers," he said. "That's just another device that could be very distracting while driving on the roadways.

"I think it's just a matter of time that our Yukon roadways are free of this distraction, and I just wanted to urge the government, put pressure on them, [based on] … what I've been hearing from Yukoners over the summer."

But while Elias said he feels strongly about the issue, he admitted that even he sometimes uses his cellphone when he's behind the wheel.

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 the devices.

Limits on cellphone use while driving also took effect in Ontario earlier this week.

British Columbia is looking at legislation that would take effect Jan. 1 while Saskatchewan announced its intentions to table similar legislation later this year.

Governments in Alberta and New Brunswick are currently studying the idea. An Alberta municipality, Strathcona County, was the first jurisdiction in that province to bring in regulations that ban the use of hand-held devices while driving.

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