Novice driver caught watching Netflix behind wheel: OPP

OPP in Thunder Bay say they stopped a novice driver watching Netflix on their phone while speeding on the highway, who also failed to move over for an emergency

A novice driver is facing charges after Ontario Provincial Police say the driver failed to move over for an emergency vehicle and was actively watching a show on a phone mounted above the steering wheel.

Police said the incident occurred on April 19.

“A novice G2 driver was stopped on Highway 11-17 for failing to move over,” OPP said in a social media post.

“Officers also observed the driver had a phone mounted above the steering wheel and was actively watching a show.”

Charges were laid for distracted driving and failing to move over.

OPP Const. Armstrong used the situation to issue a public reminder about staying alert for emergency vehicles stopped on the roadside.

In a related OPP social media video, Armstrong described the incident as “concerning for several reasons.” The initial reason for the stop was the driver’s failure to move into another lane for an emergency vehicle.

“When I stopped to actually talk to this driver, who happened to be a novice driver, the driver had their phone propped up on the dash right above the steering wheel playing Netflix – watching the show, driving down the highway at highway speeds,” he said.

Armstrong also noted this is not an isolated incident.

“It’s something that we’re seeing a lot of, unfortunately,” he said.

Armstrong added that during two traffic stops on the same night, he observed more than 30 vehicles fail to move over. In one stop before the Netflix incident, he was outside his vehicle, standing on the side of the highway.

“I was actually outside, standing on the side of the highway, just turned around, walking back to the car, walking just off the fog line, a car went by me, probably a foot away from me, at 100 km/h, not a soul in the left lane, ample time and room to move over and just chose not to,” Armstrong said.

Know the law

“The Highway Traffic Act states that if there’s a tow truck or emergency vehicle on the side of the road, emergency lights on, vehicles need to slow down and proceed with caution and move into another lane if it’s safe to do so and there’s another lane available,” said Armstrong.

Failure to comply carries a $490 fine and three demerit points, in addition to the safety risks for roadside workers.

Tips for drivers

OPP remind motorists of the following requirements when approaching emergency vehicles such as police or other first responders or tow trucks:

• Slow down and proceed with caution.
• If safe, and there are multiple lanes, move over.

“Failure to comply … puts lives at risk,” the OPP said.

“Slow down. Move over.”