Keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel because distracted driving penalties are increasing as of today, Feb. 1.
Consequences for distracted driving will see tickets more than doubling to $580, plus four demerits for a first offence. A second offence within a year of being convicted of the first will result in a $1,400 tickets along with four more demerits, and a seven-day vehicle seizure. A third offence within a year will lead to a $2,100 ticket, four demerits, and an additional seven-day seizure.
Vehicle owners will be responsible for the towing and impound fees.
Additional financial penalties may result from demerits on the SGI Safe Driver Recognition (SDR) scale.
Although fines are increasing, SGI reminds drivers that distracted driving laws will ultimately remain the same. Thus, experienced motorists can make use of hands-free functions through voice-activated commands on mounted devices. Learner or novice drivers cannot use a phone at all.
“Distracted driving is a serious safety concern in our province, and on roads all over the country,” said the Honourable Joe Hargave, Minister Responsible for SGI, in a press release. “We hope by introducing tougher penalties – and especially strong penalties for repeat offenders – it will mean fewer people driving distracted and fewer tickets issued.”
The majority of distracted driving tickets are related to cell phone use. SGI says that, in 2018, driver distraction or inattention was a factor in more than 6,000 collisions, resulting in 774 injuries and 22 deaths.
