Toronto, Ontario – No one could have guessed in 2019 that the hot car accessory of the new year would be a surgical mask dangling from the rearview mirror—but here we are, and according to recent reports from CAA and AAA, the affectation isn’t as innocent as we may think.
The sister automotive associations reminded drivers recently of the danger posed by blind spots in the front windshield and that even an object as small as a mask is enough to obscure a significant amount of a driver’s vision.
“In a typical city, a motorist encounters as many as 200 different situations per mile. The eyes provide nearly all of the information needed to respond to road conditions, traffic patterns, signals, and signs.” The AAA release continues, “Obstructing this field of vision, even partially, can cause you to miss things that should be seen, such as signs, pedestrians, wildlife, motorcycles, bikes, or other vehicles.”
Section 73(1)(b) of the Highway Traffic Act makes it an offence to drive a vehicle with any object placed in, hung on, or attached to the motor vehicle, in a manner that will obstruct the driver’s view of the highway or any intersecting highway.
As well, CAA noted the potential for additional visual distraction posed to other drivers whose eyes may be drawn to the mask dangling from another vehicle’s rearview mirror, stating that “distracted drivers are three times more likely to be in a crash than attentive drivers.”
