DUMB car, smart idea

Streetsville's Bread and Honey Festival is about family fun, tasty treats and, this year, road safety, too.
Visitors to the festival, which runs today through Sunday, will also have the chance to learn about the dangers of distracted driving.
The Drive to Survive Tour, a province-wide community outreach program developed by the Insurance Bureau of Canada, is setting up a trailer in the parking lot at Vic Johnston Community Centre to deliver its message that distracted drivers, such as those using cell phones while behind the wheel, are dangerous drivers.
The star attraction of the outreach program, the Distractions Undermining Motorist Behaviour car, or DUMB car, is a simulator that tests driver reaction to distractions such as cell phones, CDs, MP3 players, eating and drinking, and personal grooming.
According to IBC officials, driver distraction is a factor in nearly 80 per cent of vehicle collisions in North America, making it one of the most serious road safety issues today.  
IBC is taking the DUMB car on the road to engage the public in an entertaining way, and to encourage Ontario drivers to change their habits behind the wheel.
A recent poll of Canadians found that 89 per cent of respondents were concerned about driver distractions such as talking on a cell phone.
Also, 60 per cent of drivers indicated they would not stop using cell phones when driving, even when told that such behaviour makes them four times more likely to be involved in a collision.
jslack@mississauga.net