With Manitoba having passed the new Highway Traffic Act, the government of Saskatchewan is mulling whether it should also implement stricter penalties against distracted drivers.
Effective November 01, 2018, distracted driving fines in Manitoba will more than triple – up to $672 from $203 – under the recently approved Highway Traffic Act. The fines are some of the highest in Canada for those charged for distracted driving for the first time.
Minister Responsible for Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) Ron Schuler explained that the provincial government passed the law since MPI asked for stiffer penalties.
CBC News reported that there were 4,780 distracted driving-related crashes in Manitoba in 2012 – but in 2017, that number skyrocketed to more than 15,000. Distracted driving was also the leading cause of fatal crashes in Manitoba in 2017, more so than impaired driving.
“This is a serious public policy question that we needed to have,” Schuler said. “The question was how were we going to take it on.”
Manitoba joins a growing list of provinces that are taking a tougher stance on distracted driving:
Now Saskatchewan may follow suit.
In a statement, Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) Joe Hargrave said that while he is not afraid to follow Manitoba’s decision to pass new highway rules, he would not commit to more severe punishment.
“We’re going to be more aggressive if it’s necessary, that’s for sure,” he stated.
Earlier this year, the Saskatchewan government introduced rules that clarified what is allowed and otherwise when it comes to smartphone usage in a vehicle. According to Hargrave, the government is expecting the number of convictions to grow as police enforcement of the law increases.
SGI’s data reveals that last year, there were 6,399 distracted driving related crashes in Saskatchewan.
