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Distracted driver month proclaimed

Mayor Malcolm Brodie takes the wheel, left hand steering. His face squeezed in concentration as he tries to focus on the road ahead while entering numbers given to him by an instructor into a calculator in his right hand -- as if he were texting.

Mayor Malcolm Brodie takes the wheel, left hand steering. His face squeezed in concentration as he tries to focus on the road ahead while entering numbers given to him by an instructor into a calculator in his right hand -- as if he were texting.

He swerves haphazardly to the left, then the right.

The three flatscreens in front of him are connected to a Playstation to simulate a city street. The driving simulator, parked in the front lobby of city hall allows people to experience first hand the impact of driver distractions.

At the end of the ride, drivers are shown how they did.

"It was a real eye opener," said Brodie after his turn behind the wheel.

"The instructor was giving me random numbers to put in the calculator while driving. To see how far off I went was quite graphic."

Just moment earlier, Brodie had proclaimed September distracted driving month. The City of Richmond, ICBC, WorkSafeBC and police teamed up to raise awareness and illustrate the dangers of distracted driving at city hall, Thursday morning.

Twenty five per cent of all motor vehicle accidents in B.C. can be attributed to distracted driving, said to Brodie.

WorkSafeBC statistics list car crashes as the number one cause of work-related deaths in the province.

"30 workers are killed every year in B.C.," said WorkSafeBC Director of Industry and Labour Services Vincent Russell. "25 per cent of those are related to distracted driving."

Not only do work-related deaths involving car crashes include employees who typically use cars for work, such as truck drivers, but also range from nurses to realtors as well.

"When people spend more time in their cars, the risk factor is greater," said Russell. "Factors like cell phones, driving in unfamiliar territory and using the GPS or client calls compound the issue."

Thursday morning's presentation incorporated both work-related deaths and the risks of distracted driving in general. Brodie, Vancouver-Fraserview MLA Kash Heed, Russell, Staff Sgt. Earl Andersen and ICBC Director of Road Safety Fiona Temple spoke to address the issue and the steps taken to reduce fatalities and injuries.

"Since the legislation was introduced, it's gotten demonstrably better than before," said Brodie, referring to the 2010 legislation. "We want to take every step we can to make Richmond a safer place to live."

The city has also created a volunteer program where volunteers walk or bike around the community looking out for distracted driving incidents. When spotted, they note the license plate number and mail a letter to the driver making him or her aware.

"There's no fine, it's kind of like a get-out-of-jail-free card," said Inspector Janis Gray. "At the moment, we just want to raise awareness with those drivers and let them know we're watching."

The program attracts a variety of volunteers from high school students looking to fulfill volunteer hours to youth wanting to work in the field to community members wanting to help.