Vancouver lawyer Kyla Lee argues that B.C.’s distracted-driving law is “not punishing dangerous conduct” but “punishing technology.” Her main point is that B.C.’s electronic-device law was implemented in 2010 and drafted in 2009, while modern phones, vehicle mode, smartwatches, Bluetooth and built-in vehicle screens have changed how people interact with technology.
The video’s sharpest example is the smartwatch problem: if a wrist-worn smartwatch is not treated the same way as a hand-held phone, the law may produce awkward outcomes where one device is punished differently from another even if both can display calls or messages.
