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Due to the rise in rear-end collisions resulting in injury, B.C. needs to institute the same lane-filtering laws implemented by Australian and European governments, allowing motorcyclists and scooter riders to occupy the space between lanes of slow-moving (25 km/h or less), or stopped traffic, at a speed only marginally faster than traffic is moving.

According to ICBC statistics, distracted driving now poses a greater risk to fellow road-users than drunk driving, with 19 more fatalities reported from distracted driving than drunk driving in 2015, according to the most recent statistics.

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Further, according to an ICBC report, distracted driving had been credited for massive increases in rear-end collisions — so many, in fact, that ICBC has looked to hike rates to fund the 2,000 to 4,000 additional injury claims stemming from this increase.

Unfortunately, the situation remains unchanged, as distracted-driving rates continue to climb even in the face of heavier fines. In short, motorists are still using their phones when they drive and, as a result, they’re crashing into each other more often.