by Michael Mata
A Quebec coroner wants the federal government to amend the Criminal Code and introduce tougher penalties for those who use their cellphones while driving. The coroner, Michel Ferland, wants traffic fatalities and injuries caused by driving while using a cellphone to be considered a crime. Using a cellphone while driving is currently only considered a violation of the Highway Safety Code.
His recommendation follows the untimely demise of Jimmy Rotondo, 28, who was killed after rear-ending a truck on Highway 13 near St. Martin Boulevard in Laval on March 3. Ferland’s report notes that Rotondo was texting moments before the fatal collision.
Rotondo didn’t react quickly enough to an abrupt slowdown in traffic caused by a broken-down vehicle on Highway 13. Though Rotondo has slammed the brakes to avoid colliding with the truck in front of him, it was too late. The impact crushed the cab and trapped Rotondo inside. His cellphone was found on the floor of the passenger seat.
There were no skid marks on the road, and a witness said Rotondo didn’t break until moments before impact. These tell-tale signs suggest that Rotondo didn’t have his eyes on the road and was distracted by other things.
In his report, Ferland called texting while driving "a plague," noting that people are so dependent on their cellphones that they’re willing to risk their lives to stay connected to others.
Rotondo was a well-known personality on Montreal’s racing community and earned his living as a truck driver. He is survived by his pregnant girlfriend, Marie-Chantale Daigle.
Ferland recommends that police be given more power to seize information from drivers’ phones to prove suspicions in court. He also wants law enforcement in Quebec to devote more resources to cracking down on cellphone usage while driving.
