Hand Held At Red Light Not Holding Phone Holding A Route Copy

I’m a tad confused. I was at a red light holding onto my route copy . My phone was beside me on passenger seat at red light. I was looking at my route as well as watching phone. My mother was in hospital at the time and not doing well. She still is so I need an answer for this either way. She is now palliative and I will never turn down a call and not be there for her. I’m a contact for hospital as well as my sister contacts me. I had just left her apartment as we thought she was coming home when they changed their mind(hospital) I was annxiously waiting for the call back as to why. I pulled through the light and saw the police lights behind me . I was very surprised and thought I was getting pulled over for improper lane change as I was just heading to parking lot to call my sister.

He asked what my emergency was. I was confused and said well my mother is in hospital he then said you misunderstood me. Do you need an escort to the hospital for your emergency that you are on your cell phone? So yes and no but of course I said well no I guess not. Made me pull over into parking lot gave him information at that point he told me I was looking down the whole time and never even saw him beside me. This is true on both accounts. However I was not holding my phone. Xcopers was very negative and said it’s a hard charge to fight plead guilty and a meeting with prosecutor then ask for disclosure if it says he didn’t see me with phone in my hand I have a good chance of winning. If it does then to plead guilty. Not a good thing for me and anyways not true. Now I’m thinking I should have taken to court. I have Bluetooth and just need to ask Siri so there is never a need for me to pick up phone and I know better. Any advise here as I’m starting to think I should take the hit rather then go to court but it irks me large. I hope I have not made a mistake in choosing guilty.

Lets take a look at the charge in question:

Hand-held devices prohibited

Wireless communication devices

78.1 (1) No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a highway while holding or using a hand-held wireless communication device or other prescribed device that is capable of receiving or transmitting telephone communications, electronic data, mail or text messages. 2009, c. 4, s. 2; 2015, c. 27, Sched. 7, s. 18.

The key part of your argument is here is that you were not holding your phone. However, the charge doesn't make it a requirement. Holding OR using, the keyword being "or".

There are exemptions for pressing buttons if the phone is mounted and the driver can see it at a quick glance. You'd definitely fail to meet at least one of those criteria (probably both actually), but you weren't using the phone to press buttons either.

At what point, if any, is someone "using" their phone if they're not holding on to it or pushing buttons. I don't know the answer, but someone else might chime in with something more definitive.

So does that mean I can’t take a call for my mother..... I will take the charge in that case. I will not miss my last moments with her if I possibly can. I do concider that an emergency

Okay wait I read that again. I was not pressing any buttons. It’s one of the reasons I have this phone. I have Bluetooth on my steering wheel . Talk and read text (siri) only thing that was in my hand was my route copy. Paper with instructions.

If you were holding or looking down at the paper, the officer could still ticket you for distracted driving. That may be an option. Perhaps someone who's more familiar with the ramifications of Distracted could chime in as to whether it's a better option.

I could recommend you see a traffic ticket lawyer to help you get out this. It is definitely not worth getting the demerit points.

Once issued a Cellphone Ticket [removed], you can always plead “non-guilty.” Cell phone tickets are very much debatable. For instance, the officer on duty often makes errors. Also, there are many beatable loopholes.