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5 | Friday July 21, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER |www.insidehalton.com Distracted driving a problem on Oakville streets: police by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff K a r a s t a n e a Rug e SERVICING THE OAKVILLE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 20 YEARS! F loor W /, /A /O ca.com T H IS W EEK 'S BEST Qu a l it y . Be s t SERv i c E. Be s t PmcES! Halton police say Oakville has no shortage of distracted drivers with one officer issuing 14 tickets for the dangerous practice in about seven hours. Const. Marc Taraso patrolled Trafalgar Road between Postridge Drive and Dundas Street on his bike from 12:30 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. Monday (July 17) ticketing seven distracted drivers. The following day (July 18) he went on a bike patrol in the area of Navy and Church streets and issued another seven distracted driving tickets between 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Some the excuses given by those he ticketed included, "I am a driver for UBER and I was checking the app" and "I was using the mapping." One motorist asked Taraso to give him a break because they had gotten a ticket for the same offense just last week. The statement did little to help that individual' s situation. "It' s important to note that holding your phone for any reason, even momentarily just to move it and even when stopped at a red light is illegal," said Taraso. A n y c a rp e t S tyle · B e r b e r · T w is t · P lu s h · S h a g · T e x tu re d B e rb e r 1 /2 p r ic e $ 2 . 9 9 I n s t a l l e d w i t h U n d e r p a d 1500 sq.ft, limit "The only exception would be to call 911 in the event of an emergency. If a driver needs to hold their phone, they need to pull over-off the roadway- park in a legal parking location, and then they can use their phone." A ticket for distracted driving will cost the offender $490 and three demerit points. If the driver is issued a summons for the offence or they elect to have the ticket contested before a Justice of the Peace, then the range of the fine can be set between $300 and $1,000. Taraso said recent studies have found that one person is injured every 30 minutes in Ontario as a result of distracted driving. · m m 5 ' X 8 ' STA R TIN G AT F O LL O W iN G L O C A T iO N S ONLY: W /AfG ca.com TRAFALGAR VILLAGE, (across from Oakville Go station) Oakville 905.849.4472 Mi r a g e Hardwood · Karastan Carpet Thinking of Retiring... Someday? Let's Talk. $ A 5 A Visit our website to sign up for a free consultation Peter Watson MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI Jennifer Watson B.A. 220 Randall Street, Downtown Oakville 905-842-2100 peterwatsoninvestments.com OAKVILLE TO TORONTO PEARSON AiRPORT STARTiNG FROM ONLY $45. CALL US FOR DETAILS.