# Source note — Rules of the Road: B.C. distracted-driving law, technology and smartwatches

Date checked: 2026-07-20

## Evidence label
Facebook Reel / legal source-check. The Reel is legal commentary by Kyla Lee / Acumen Law. NewsForBC verified the current law and public guidance through B.C. Laws, RoadSafetyBC, RCMP, ICBC and legal/case-law commentary. This article is not legal advice.

## Social/video lead
- User URL: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18AZ1565Hj/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Resolved Facebook Reel: https://www.facebook.com/reel/27348072618152021
- Facebook/yt-dlp uploader: Kyla Lee - Vancouver Criminal Lawyer
- Facebook video ID: 27348072618152021
- Facebook upload date captured by yt-dlp: 2026-06-02
- Exact YouTube copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcM-AzTmBAk
- Exact TikTok copy: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylaleelawyer/video/7646250161022274823

## Claim checked
The video argues that B.C.’s distracted-driving law does not primarily punish dangerous conduct but instead punishes technology; it says the law was implemented in 2010/drafted in 2009 and has not kept up with smartphones, vehicle mode, smartwatches, Bluetooth and built-in vehicle screens.

## Key transcript excerpt
B, C's distracted driving law is not punishing dangerous conduct, it's punishing technology. And here's why. The law does not keep current to the technology. The current distracted driving law that we have in British Columbia was implemented in 2010, meaning it was drafted in 2009. Think about what your cell phone could do in 2009 versus what it can do now. How distracting is a device now compared to how it was in 2010, especially as we have improved safety mechanisms? You have your vehicle mode on your phone that will detect that you're in a moving vehicle. You have, um, phones that can automatically lock out, uh, and prevent you from using them. You have all of this different wearable technology that allows you to take phone calls. Apple Watches, smartwatches that you could take phone calls and text messages through didn't exist back when the law was drafted. And the law has already decided that a smartwatch isn't a handheld electronic device. So you can text from your smartwatch while you're driving, but you can't text from your phone. You can send text messages from the screen of your car in your phone if it's built into the dash, but you can't do it from your handheld phone. Like the law and the technology are not the same, but the government has refused to change it. They've refused to change it repeatedly because it's not about keeping people safe on the road. It's not about prohibiting the Use of distracted driving devices so that people are not in, in crashes or injured. It's about punishing the technology. And the punishing the technology means costing you money for using it.

## Verified legal/current-status points
- Motor Vehicle Act Part 3.1, current to July 14, 2026 on B.C. Laws, defines “electronic device” and “use” and prohibits use while driving or operating a motor vehicle on a highway.
- Section 214.1 defines “use” to include holding the device in a position in which it may be used, operating one or more functions, communicating orally by means of it, and other regulated actions.
- Section 214.2 prohibits use and specifically prohibits communicating by e-mail or other text-based message.
- The Use of Electronic Devices While Driving Regulation, B.C. Reg. 308/2009, further defines use to include watching the screen and prescribes GPS, hand-held computing devices, hand-held audio players, hand microphones and televisions.
- RoadSafetyBC/ICBC/RCMP guidance continues to warn drivers to leave phones alone. ICBC/RCMP materials identify penalties such as $368 and four driver penalty points for electronic-device offences; separate “drive without due care” can carry $368 and six points.
- Global News reported in 2015 that police warned smartwatch use could result in a ticket, while Kyla Lee’s later case summary says a B.C. Apple Watch decision treated a wrist-worn smartwatch as not simply a hand-held electronic device by virtue of being worn.
- R. v. Bleau commentary/source pages say passive Bluetooth podcast playback from a phone not actively handled/operated was held not to be “use” on appeal.

## Caveats
- NewsForBC did not locate a public CanLII text for every smartwatch case mentioned in legal commentary during this pass. Those points are attributed to Kyla Lee/legal commentary unless directly supported by official court/legal source text.
- The article should not tell readers to text from a smartwatch while driving. The practical safety advice remains: do not interact with devices while driving.