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Matthew Taylor of Connects Wireless with a visor-mounted Bluetooth device will bring drivers into compliance with legislation requiring hands-free phone calls only in cars. (Photo Joe Fries)
By Joe Fries
It’s only a matter of time before the ubiquitous sight of a motorist with one hand on the wheel and the other holding a phone to his ear is a thing of the past – at least according to the law.
New provincial legislation comes into effect Jan. 1 requiring drivers talking on cell phones to do so using hands-free devices that require just one touch to make or accept a call. Doing otherwise will cost you a $167 fine.
And texting or e-mailing while driving will cost $167 plus three penalty points. However, new drivers in the graduated licensing program are completely prohibited from using a cell phone in the car, whether on a hands-free device or not.
At least one Kelowna retailer is applauding the so-called distracted driver law – and not just because it’s been good for business.
“I think it’s a great law. I think it’s about time that they did that,” said Matthew Taylor, manager of Connects Wireless in Kelowna.
His store sells the hands-free gadgets that will required to legally talk on the phone while driving.
Most popular are those that use Bluetooth technology to wirelessly connect a cell phone with an external microphone and speaker. Among those, the kind that takes the form of a simple headset that slips over one ear is maybe the most well-known, but one that simply clips to a driver’s sun visor is equally popular.
Demand for both types of devices of late has been “crazy,” Taylor said.
Typically, his store orders about $250 worth of Bluetooth product a month; his latest order was valued at $8,000.
The technology is not new. Companies have had them all along, Taylor said, “but it’s just more of a rush now to get them.”
He said Bluetooth buyers have been “everybody from your normal average Joe to corporate clients.”
Taylor said pairing a cell phone with a Bluetooth device is simple, and he does it for every customer before he or she leaves the store. Any phone made within the last year should be Bluetooth enabled, he added.
Other hands-free devices also exist. The Apple iPhone, for example, comes equipped with a set of headphones with a built-in microphone.
The province will roll out an education campaign on the new law Jan. 1. Fines will be handed out starting Feb. 1. Two-way radios and emergency 911 calls are exempt from the rules.
ICBC also has a very good FAQ section on the new law.
joe@kelowna.com
250-575-4303
Tags: bluetooth, distracted driver, hands-free phone, matthew taylor
