RCMP is reminding Albertans about the dangers of distracted driving after an Albertan was sentenced to his 13th distracted driving conviction.
In a Tuesday news release, police said a 40-year-old man from Alberta was given the sentence at the Airdrie Provincial Traffic Court.
“The law for distracted driving came into effect in Alberta on Sept. 1, 2011, so it’s been 11 years now and he’s been caught 13 times in those 11 years,” said Sgt. Darrin Turnbull.
“The sentence the judge imposed today was the maximum for distracted driving, which is a $2,000 fine and a $300 surcharge.
“Thirteen distracted driving convictions in 11 years is just not acceptable,” Turnbull said.
However, under the current legislation, the accused is still able to drive.
“The judge cannot issue a driving suspension for distracted driving,” Turnbull explained. “However there are three demerit points that are assessed for the conviction and those demerit points obviously add up and once they add up to enough, then a driving suspension is issued.”
This was the man’s 13th conviction and he was slapped with a $2,300 fine plus three demerit points. To date, police said he’s received roughly $7,665 in total fines.
Police said research has shown driver distraction is the primary cause of more than 20 per cent of all crashes and distracted drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a collision than attentive drivers.
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In an April survey from Rates.ca, 83 per cent of Canadian drivers engaged in at least one distracted driving behaviour mentioned in the study, which included activities such as making a phone call on a hand-held device and eating while driving.
The fourth annual report also found Albertans are the most distracted across the country with 90 per cent of respondents admitting to distracted driving at least once.
Under the Traffic Safety Act, being caught distracted while driving, while stopped in traffic or even at a red light can set a person back $300 plus three demerit points.
As of March 31, 2021, there have been 13,012 distracted driving convictions in Alberta.
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