Distracted driving leading cause of death on Ontario roads: OPP

Ontario Provincial Police say distracted driving was the number one cause of death on roadways in 2013.

A new report published by the OPP shows 78 people died in distracted driving-related collisions in Ontario last year. That’s compared to 57 impaired driving deaths and 44 speed-related deaths in the same year.

“When you consider the overall impact of these 78 fatalities last year and the 325 other distracted driving victims who have died since 2010, the number of people these irresponsible drivers have had a profound and devastating impact on is in the thousands,” said OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair in a statement.

Blair went on to explain that the emotional impact of lives lost to this "senseless driving behaviour" involves many people, from the victims' family and friends to officers called to horrific collision scenes and those who must notify next-of-kin.

An OPP distracted driving campaign is about to begin and runs March 8-14, during which officers will be working to raise awareness and increase enfocement of distracted driving laws.

The report comes just a week after the approval of higher fines for distracted driving. Starting on March 18, the current $155 fee will increase to $280.