SASKATOON – The provincial government is looking at options to deal with drivers who continue to talk or text while driving.
One of those is to increase fines.
Currently in Saskatchewan, the fine for distracted driving is $280 along with four demerit points, some of the stiffest penalties in the country.
“Taking your vehicle impacts you at work and impacts your family so when people make the choice to pick up the phone or answer a text message, we want that in mind,” said MLA Darryl Hickie, chair of the provincial traffic safety advisory committee.
Distracting driving has also led to an increase in the number of traffic fatalities.
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According to preliminary figures from SGI, 60 people were killed in Saskatchewan due to distracted driving last year, surpassing drunk driving as the leading cause of death on roads in the province.
“After years of impaired driving being the number one cause of fatal collisions in Saskatchewan, that dubious distinction has switched,” said Staff Sgt. Tony Nadon head of the Saskatoon police traffic unit.
“In 2012, distracted driving became the number one cause of fatal collisions in our province.”
Last year, Saskatoon police handed out over 2,000 tickets for distracted driving.
Nadon says a shift in mentality is needed.
“It took drivers to wear a seat belt a long time and it was almost a generational thing that individuals had to get use to and now with cell phones, it’s just taking a long time for them to realize it is the law.”
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