ESTEVAN — The Estevan Police Service continues to receive a lot of calls about distracted driving in the community.
Deputy Chief Murray Cowan said it continues to be a problem in Estevan and throughout Saskatchewan, and he claimed it is the No. 1 contributing factor for collisions in the province.
So far this year, the EPS has received 45 calls regarding distracted driving. Thirty-four charges have been laid against people using a cell phone while operating a vehicle.
Last year the EPS handed out 47 charges for using a handheld device while driving, Cowan said, and 11 charges for driving without due care and attention.
While use of a mobile device remains the most common example of what people think of when it comes to distracted driving, there are other examples, he said. Motorists could also be ticketed for eating, reading, interacting with pets or passengers, adjusting the radio or even grooming themselves while driving.
“That all constitutes distracted driving, and charges under the Traffic Safety Act fall under the undue care/reasonable operation of a vehicle category,” said Cowan.
He believes there is more awareness about the risks of distracted driving, thanks to the efforts of the EPS and agencies such as SGI.
“The SGI website has a lot of information in relation to distracted driving and ways to avoid distractions,” said Cowan. “There’s lots of information there. They also have a lot of statistics that relate to the collisions and stuff that are distractions.”
Efforts the EPS has made to curb distracted driving have been in partnership with SGI. During Distracted Driving Month, the EPS will ramp up its efforts.
“We do partner with SGI and we work – and this is a province-wide initiative with agencies across the province – on social media campaigns through each agency’s social media sites as well as through the SGI social media sites to make people aware of this issue and of this problem,” he said.
The EPS members will also clamp down on distracted driving as time permits.
“In some cases, we might put individual platoons out, doing a little bit of teamwork when it comes to … stepping up their own traffic enforcement,” said Cowan.
When it comes to using an electronic device while driving, the fines are steep, he said. For a first offence, it carries a $580 fine and four demerit points. A second offence within one year amounts to a $1,400 fine, four demerit points and a seven-day vehicle seizure. A third offence in a year is a $2,100 fine, four more demerit points and a seven-day vehicle seizure.
As for driving without due care and attention for eating, reading and other forms of distraction, if it results in a collision, motorists can be charged. The fines and the demerit points are largely the same as driving while using a cell phone.
