Distracted driving offences in Sask. drop to a record low for 2019: SGI

A sharp decrease in distracted driving offences is a trend SGI hopes will continue in Saskatchewan.

In December, police agencies across the province reported 534 distracted driving offences, which was the lowest monthly total in 2019 says SGI. Of those, 408 tickets were issued for cellphone use.

To put December’s numbers in context, for the first 10 months of 2019 the monthly average of distracted driving tickets was nearly 900, says SGI. The busiest month for tickets was in October with 1,290 distracted driving tickets being issued.

This is the second month in a row SGI has reported a reduction in distracted driving. In November, the same month the province announced they would be raising fines for distracted driving, police agencies saw a decrease in offences.

In November, 653 distracted driving tickets, including 560 for cellphone use.

SGI says it’s too soon to draw any conclusion about what the data means but they’re hoping people will continue to drive without any distractions.

By the numbers: December

• police reported 295 impaired driving offences, including 249 criminal code charges
• 4,722 tickets were issues for speeding and aggressive driving
• 309 tickets issues for improper seat belt or child restraint use