Trucker charged for attending Teams video conference while driving
· Toronto Sun
The Ontario Provincial Police are renewing warnings about the hazards posed by distracted driving after a truck driver was caught attending a video conference behind the wheel.
Visit syntagm.co.za for more information.
Members of the OPP’s detachment in Lambton County — an area of southwestern Ontario from Sarnia east to near Strathroy — on Sunday pulled over the driver who they said was using the popular videoconferencing program Microsoft Teams while driving.
“That’s not multitasking. That’s distracted driving, and it puts everyone on the road at risk,” the OPP wrote in a social media post on X.
“The driver was charged under the HTA for having a display screen visible to the driver.”
A #LambtonOPP member stopped a tractor-trailer on #Hwy402 yesterday after the driver was found attending a Teams video meeting while behind the wheel.
— OPP West Region (@OPP_WR) March 30, 2026
That’s not multitasking. That’s distracted driving, and it puts everyone on the road at risk. The driver was charged under the… pic.twitter.com/RhIOz706nb
Targeting distracted driving is the aim of the OPP West Region’s “Stay Focused” distracted driving campaign, meant to tackle the increasing danger inattentive drivers pose on provincial roads and highways.
“ If you’re driving, you’re not available. It’s that simple,” the OPP continued in their tweet.
“One moment of distraction can change lives forever. Stay focused. No excuses.”
Distracted driving kills more than impaired
Distracted driving remains a worrying problem on Ontario roads.
Police in Ontario typically lay twice as many charges for distracted driving compared to impaired driving, according to data from the OPP.
The OPP and the Ministry of Transportation said that distracted driving is directly responsible for 82 deaths on Ontario highways in 2024 — that’s an over 40% increase from the previous year.
The tally makes distracted driving the fourth most common cause of death on Ontario roads in 2024 — compared to the 155 people who died from speed-related crashes, 107 in pedestrian collisions, 84 in collisions with large trucks, and 55 who died from impaired driving.
As well, distracted driving is believed to have been a contributing factor in nearly 80% of all reported collisions in Ontario.