With the Holiday’s fast approaching, traffic will be picking up, and it is best to be prepared, not only for yourself, but for the benefit of others on the road.
Concerned about safety on the roads, the Saskatchewan Government has placed a ban on handheld cell phone use, effective January 1st, 2010. Other provinces, including Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Newfoundland, have already brought in similar bans.
The new law also prohibits drivers from texting, emailing or surfing the internet while driving.
The government said it wanted the law passed because distracted driving is a serious road safety issue. “Given the very compelling numbers, the danger that we know that it is, the increased risk of accident, I think it’s something we need to look at carefully and potentially bring legislation forward this fall,” said Premiere Brad Wall. About one in four accidents in Saskatchewan are caused by distractions, the province says.
While experienced drivers will be allowed to use hands-free devices while driving, new drivers – those in the province’s Graduated Driver’s Licensing program – are banned from using any kind of cellphone on the road.
With this law coming into effect, we suspect some of you may have questions about hands-free devices. So, this month, we are spotlighting one of our personal favourite hands free systems: Microsoft’s “Sync”.
Think of Sync as a computer that manages music and communication devices that drivers carry into a car, but there’s nothing to see, since the system is embedded in the vehicle’s dash. Drivers use voice commands and buttons on the steering wheel to control a device. MP3 players are linked to the Sync with a USB port, while mobile phones are connected wirelessly via Bluetooth.
It integrates things like MP3 players into the system using voice recognition software. That means you can surf through your iPod’s playlist with voice commands. It will also read text messages from your phone aloud, even translating abbreviations, like LOL. Plus, it’s multilingual for English, French and Spanish!
Sync is available in a wide range of Ford and Lincoln vehicles, coming as standard equipment in some, including the 2008 Ford Edge we have parked in our showroom (Yorkton’s largest!).
If you find yourself out and about in beautiful downtown Yorkton, be sure to stop into 134 Broadway Street East, and check out Microsoft Sync first hand.
And don’t forget to ask about “Cash for Christmas”!
With all of this in mind, the Management and staff at McKenzie Sales and Leasing Yorkton, would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!
