Manitoba is cracking down on distracted driving by instating new penalties for motorists caught texting or making calls while operating a vehicle, and they may just be the harshest in Canada yet.
 
Starting July 1, Manitoba drivers caught using their mobile phones could will be given five demerit points instead of two, reports the Winnipeg Free Press. This could result in $542 of additional license and insurance fees for someone with a good driving record, or $3,200 for someone without, all over a five-year timeframe.
 
Previously, motorists were only subjected to a $200 fine.
 
The Canadian Automobile Association told CTV News that it welcomed these changes.
 
"We would love to see talking on your phone or texting (while driving) as being a socially unacceptable behaviour," CAA spokesperson Mike Mager said. "We're not there yet. Ninety per cent of our members just recently surveyed said that they regularly see - every day - somebody talking on their phone."
 
Ontario also passed legislation this= week regarding distracted driving, increasing the penalty from a $60 to $500 fine to a $300 to $1,000 one, accompanied by three demerit points. Lawmakers pursued this reform partially in response to the police claims that distracted driving is becoming the most prevalent cause of fatalities on the road, according to The Globe and Mail.