Alberta firms voluntarily ban cellphones while driving

More and more Alberta businesses are joining a group to ban cellphone use while driving — even though the province has not come up with legislation.

The Coalition for Cellphone-Free Driving has enrolled about 50 companies, representing thousands of workers, since it was set up five years ago.

"There is interest, so I think that because of that, employers are looking at putting policies in place because they realize the dangers and risks of cellphone use while driving," said coalition spokeswoman Cate Burant-Fernuik.

"They must have a cellphone policy in place that does not allow the use of either hand-held or hands-free cell phone use while driving."

Energy giants Halliburton Group and Encana are among the larger companies involved. The coalition also includes the faculty of nursing and the school of public health at the University of Alberta.

Renewed interest TV-driven

There's been renewed interest in the five-year-old initiative, Burant-Fernuik said, in part because of a U of A study that showed 90 per cent of Alberta companies did not have a cellphone policy and in part because of a campaign started on U.S. television.

"Oprah, who is the queen of TV, aired a program in January urging viewers to pledge their car as a no-phone zone," Burant-Fernuik said. "That has really started a ripple effect."

Alberta is one of only two provinces that haven't brought in legislation to ban hand-held cell phones while driving.

"They have said many times that they are looking at the issue of distracted driving," said Burant-Fernuik. "I definitely thought we would have had a policy in place by now."