Province vows stiffer penalties to combat distracted driving
Moe won’t say how high fines might go, but hints they’ll echo impaired driving
REGINA The Saskatchewan government intends to get tough on distracted driving, with Wednesday’s throne speech promising tougher penalties for a practice that costs lives.
Premier Scott Moe would not confirm how high the penalties will go, except to signal they could reach a level comparable to what’s now in place for impaired driving.
Joe Hargrave, minister responsible for SGI, said the penalties will go “as high as it takes.” He mentioned fines, demerit points and efforts to facilitate roadside seizures as options the government is pondering as it finalizes new rules in the weeks ahead.
“We’re going to keep changing things until we can see that results are starting to happen,” he said. “That’s what it takes. Unfortunately you’ve got to hit people either by taking their car away or by higher fines.”
Current fines for distracted driving are $280 and four demerit points. A second offence can prompt a roadside seizure. The rules cover reading, eating, using GPS and personal grooming in cases where those practices divert attention from the road. There’s also a blanket ban on using, holding, viewing or manipulating a handheld cellphone while driving.
The government increased impaired driving penalties in September of last year, notably by toughening up vehicle seizures for drivers with passengers under age 16 and imposing licence suspensions for drug-impaired driving.
Impaired drivers can face immediate roadside suspension, vehicle impoundment, mandatory education programs, SGI fines that can run up to $2,225 for convictions and up to 20 demerit points.
Sandra Larose, who lost her daughter to distracted driving, was in the legislative chamber to hear the commitment to action. Kailynn Bursic-panchuk died after a collision with a train near Weyburn in August 2018, and Larose was told she was seen looking at a cellphone at the time.
She expressed hope that families such as hers will be consulted as the government pins down the new rules.
“I’m hoping that, by next year, there’s not going to be another Kailynn,” she said.
Regina Police Service Constable Mike (Hawkeye) Seel was at the legislature to talk about how often he sees repeat offenders on the streets of Regina. He’s given out more than 1,000 tickets this year alone to those using cellphones while driving.
“People unfortunately aren’t getting the message,” he said. “So the next thing is going to be harsher penalties.”
The risks are high. Seel said distracted driving is now the No. 1 cause of accidents that lead to injury in the province.
But he said even the current fine is “hefty,” which raises questions about whether hitting drivers harder will work. Education and awareness are just as important. That’s a message Larose is trying to get across.
“The world is such a fast-paced lifestyle for everybody that nobody has the time to slow down, and everybody has to make that call or answer that text or even the flicker of a notification on your phone,” she said. “Put it out of sight, out of mind ...
“There’s no undo button when you’re dead.”