But numbers from the BC Coroner's service show just 14 electronic device-related road deaths between 2008 and 2016

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Is our province’s public auto insurer providing us with misleading information about distracted driving and its consequences?

A lawyer has new numbers suggesting cell phone use is not as big a factor in road deaths as we’ve been led to believe by ICBC.

Just 14 deaths between 2008 and 2016 have been linked to people using electronic devices behind the wheel, according to the BC Coroner’s service — in contrast to ICBC’s website, which says 78 people die due to distracted driving each year.

Lawyer Paul Doroshenko with Acumen Law got that information by filing a freedom of information request — and feels we need to rethink the penalties for distracted driving as a result.

“I think it’s got to be a different offense if you’ve got your cell phone sitting beside you, as opposed to tooling down the road taking selfies while driving,” says Doroshenko, who says not all cases of distracted driving pose an equal risk to other drivers.

The Crown corporation is not explicitly denying the accuracy of the statistics Doroshenko is providing, but maintains that drivers are much more likely to be in an accident if they’re using a phone.

“Studies show that a driver is five times more likely to get into a crash if using a handheld device,” says the company in a statement. “With more than 43,000 tickets for electronic device use issued in 2016 alone (and more than 300,000 since 2010), drivers distracted by electronics are a serious safety concern for all road users.

“People who drive distracted cause preventable crashes that lead to vehicle damage, injuries, and death. The harsh penalties associated with electronic device use, and with driving without due care and attention, are appropriate and reflect the seriousness of this behaviour.”

Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth issued a similar response, noting that 175 people in are injured each week on average because of distraction and inattention.

“I understand that fatality statistics vary depending on how agencies measure types of distraction, but frankly, nobody should be dying because of distraction or inattention at the wheel. And focusing only on deaths ignores the pain endured by the thousands of people who are injured every year.”

The penalty for being caught using your phone while stopped in traffic is $368, plus four points off your licence for a first offence.