See the Road: Ontario urges all to #PutDownThePhone – take part!

When you aren’t focused on the road, things can happen fast. Using your phone to talk, text, check maps or choose a playlist while you’re behind the wheel all count as distracted driving – and they put you and others at risk. Other activities like eating, reading or typing a destination into a GPS are also dangerous when you’re behind the wheel. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a highway or stopped at a red light – distracted driving could cost you. Read about the new campaign from Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation.

Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation is targeting distracted driving this summer with a marketing campaign that urges people to put down the phone.

A new ad, which shows a young driver go from picking up his phone to life in a wheelchair, demonstrates how fast things can happen when your eyes aren’t on the road. The ad launches on June 16, and is part of a summer-long campaign to reduce distracted driving deaths in Ontario – a trend that has more than doubled since 2000.

You’ll see the ad on television, in movie theatres and online throughout the summer in Ontario and Cananda. In cinemas, audiences will also see an extended: 60 cut. It will be complemented by radio ads and a social media campaign that encourages people to share their commitment to #PutDownThePhone.

It only takes a minute to make your own pledge photo.
1. Hold up your phone over your eyes.
2. Take the picture yourself or get a friend to help.
3. Upload the photo and share.