There have been many initiatives put out by the Saskatchewan government to try and stop distracted driving, but the lesson seemingly hasn’t gotten through to many as there are still a high number of people each month who receive tickets for being on their cellphone while behind the wheel.
On Tuesday, the Saskatchewan government let it be known that enough is enough as the penalty for doing so will be much stiffer come February 1.
Currently, a distracted driving ticket* costs the recipient $280 plus four demerits, with vehicle seizures for repeat offenders. Starting February 1, 2020, the cost of a ticket will more than double, and the cost of subsequent tickets will escalate.
The demerits could also cost the driver insurance discounts they had earned or – if they are on the negative side of the SGI Safe Driver Recognition (SDR) scale – additional financial penalties, at $50 for every point below zero. If a driver started at zero, and received three distracted driving tickets in a year, they would have to pay a total of $1,200 in SDR financial penalties, on top of the other financial impacts.
Distracted driving tickets are
on Feb 1/20
1st offence: $580 and 4 demerits
2nd*: $1400, 4 demerits, 7-day impound**
3rd*: $2100, 4 demerits, 7-day impound***Within 1yr of being convicted of the 1st offence
**Vehicle owners are responsible for towing & impound fees pic.twitter.com/g8pG81V1FO— SGI (@SGItweets) November 19, 2019
Minister Responsible for SGI Joe Hargrave said it’s his hope Saskatchewan drivers will realize getting caught means throwing hard-earned money away. “Now people will pay $580 and they’ll figure it out. I can’t afford $580 and I don’t know how many people here just want to throw $580 away.”
He added that the new fines won’t come into effect until February 1st and that’s to give people time. “We want to get an awareness campaign out there and say look stop, the fines are going to increase. You have a three month period here to maybe learn the habit of not using your phone in your vehicle, do it because the fines are going up. We want to give people the time to realize it’s time to stop.”
Hargrave said in a release. “Despite increased enforcement by police and significant awareness efforts by SGI, 22 people lost their lives on Saskatchewan roads in 2018 due to distracted driving or inattention. That is 22 deaths too many.”
SGI is also reminding you distracted driving doesn’t just mean cell phone use, but anything that takes your focus away from the road.
“Distracted driving kills and injures people; it is a serious safety concern, and our government is sending a direct message to drivers,” Hargrave said. “Yes, the tickets are costly. Don’t want to get one? It’s easy. Put the phone down, keep your head up, and focus on the road.”
Driver distraction or inattention is one of the top causes of collisions, injuries and fatalities on Saskatchewan roads. In 2018, it was a factor in more than 6,000 collisions, 774 injuries and 22 deaths.
