Article written by Maury Wrubleski

SGI’s Traffic Safety Spotlight for the month of October returns to distracted driving. It’s responsible for one in five collision-related injuries in the province, and it’s a problem that is continuing to drive traffic incidents. 

“No one ever wants to get injured or hurt, and one easy way to reduce the number of preventable injuries is to give the road your full and undivided attention,” said Penny McCune, Chief Operating Officer of the Auto Fund in an SGI release.

The Crown notes that over the past five years (2016-2020), an average of 877 people have been injured each year in collisions caused by driver distraction and inattention on Saskatchewan roads, which represents one out of every five auto vehicle injuries. Distracted driving also results in an average of 26 fatalities per year. Distracted driving actually injures more people than collisions resulting from impaired driving and speeding combined.

During October and the Traffic Safety Spotlight, law enforcement in the province will be on the lookout for drivers using their cellphone or distracted through other means. Offenders face a $580 ticket and four demerits for either: 

  • driving without due care and attention, and         
  • holding, using, manipulating or viewing a handheld cellphone. 

Repeat offences within one year result in significantly higher ticket costs ($1,400 for a second ticket; $2,100 for a third), and seven-day vehicle impoundments.