'Think twice' before texting and driving
Quadriplegic transportation official implores young people stop using a cellphone in the driver's seat
Simon Whitehouse
Northern News Services
Friday, October 30, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It only takes answering a phone call while driving for a whole life to change.
John Boden, seated in wheelchair, a public speaker from Camrose, Alta., spoke to area schools this week about the importance of not texting and driving message. Boden, who is quadriplegic, ended up in a wheelchair following an accident in 2007 in which a girl was texting while driving. Boden's caregiver Phil Merritt, left, Boden and his wife Shauna Boden met Sir John Franklin High School students on Tuesday. - photo courtesy of Andrea Pellerin |
That was the message to area schools from John Boden, a 54-year-old public speaker from Camrose, Alta., who ended up in a wheelchair after a car accident because another driver was texting and driving.
Boden dropped into Sir John Franklin School and William McDonald School on Tuesday and St. Patrick High School on Thursday to share this message. Boden also flew to Hay River to meet with Diamond Jenness School students, Wednesday.
"I wanted to share how it changes your life, your family's life and just try to put it in the students' perspective if it ever happened to them," Boden told Yellowknifer.
In July 2007, Boden was travelling in a Corvette convertible in Camrose when a 16-year-old driver of another vehicle crossed the centre line and struck him. Her car went end-over-end on top of Boden's vehicle, which was totalled. The incident left him with limited feeling in his body and little ability to walk.
He is in a wheelchair and assisted by caregivers full time on weekdays and assisted by his wife, Shauna Boden, on weekends.
Steve Louttit, director of roads and safety with the GNWT, said he is friends with Boden and made arrangements for him to speak earlier this year. Louttit wants to be proactive with the issue as amendments to the GNWT's Bill 60 are soon to be enforced early next year.
The bill doubles the cost of texting while driving in school and construction zones to $644, and three demerit points. Louttit said since the GNWT began charging people for texting and driving in 2012, there have been 1,054 people charged under the act.
"Recognizing that distracted driving is killing and injuring more people than impaired driving and speeding, we felt that it was important to bring in a speaker who has had this terrible life experience and to describe the consequences of distracted driving," Loutitt said.
"Given this first-hand view of it - children age Grade 8 to Grade 12 are kids who are going to be entering the driving world. We want them to think twice."
