SGI is letting people know distracted driving will be a particular focus of enforcement efforts in March.
Police across Saskatchewan are on the lookout for drivers using cellphones to make calls, send texts or sharing on social media while they are behind the wheel. They will also be watching for motorists driving without due care and attention due to distractions like eating, putting on makeup or programming a GPS.
Drivers must to abide by some tough new provincial rules. As of Jan. 1, legislation prohibits drivers from using, viewing, holding or manipulating mobile devices while driving. According to SGI, hands-free cellphones can be used as long as they are activated with voice commands or one touch, and are dashboard, visor or cradle mounted. But new drivers, meaning anyone in a Graduated Driver Licensing program, can't use hands-free cellphones at all.
Distracted driving is a top contributor to collisions in Saskatchewan, says SGI. In 2015, nearly 5,700 collisions in Saskatchewan were due to distracted driving, with 802 people injured and 36 killed.
“When you’re behind the wheel, you’re responsible for thousands of pounds of glass and steel,” said Earl Cameron, executive vice-president of the Auto Fund.
“At road speeds, a quick lapse in attention can come with a lifetime of consequences. The next time you have the urge to do anything but drive while behind the wheel, ask yourself if that distraction is really worth it.”
In a news release, SGI suggests the following tips to prevent distracted driving:
• silence your phone and put it out of reach before taking the wheel;
• designate a passenger to navigate or adjust controls, and reply to texts or calls;
• limit the number of passengers in the vehicle when driving;
• if children or pets need extra attention, pull over to care for them;
• apply makeup, select music or find personal items before you drive;
• call out your friends and family if you see them using a cellphone behind the wheel; it may save their life.
SGI also provided statistics for their January campaign against impaired driving.
Seven people were charged with a blood alcohol content between .04 and .08, while 269 were charged with exceeding .08, with impaired driving, or with refusing to provide a breath sample.
There were also 3,376 tickets for speeding/aggressive driving, 397 tickets for distracted driving (321 of those were for cellphone use) and 322 tickets regarding seatbelts/child car seats.
