Put down your phone and focus on the road ahead. That’s the message from Saskatchewan Government Insurance. Last month, 658 people were issued tickets for a distracted driving offence. Of those, 538 were for cell phone use, while 120 were for driving without due care and attention.
This is a significant drop from the all-time Traffic Safety Spotlight record set in October last year. But SGI says it is still a number that is higher than it should be.

A distracted driving ticket starts at $580 and four demerit points, and the penalties increase for repeat offences, including vehicle impoundments.

In 2019, distracted driving contributed to 16 deaths and more than 4,500 collisions.

Other results reported by police in October include:
437 impaired driving offences, including 352 Criminal Code charges
6,906 tickets for speeding/aggressive driving
403 improper seatbelt or child restraint use

November’s Traffic Safety Spotlight is on catching suspended drivers and unregistered vehicles