SGI’s Traffic Safety Spotlight for this month is focused on distracted driving.
Police will be looking out for drivers using their cell phone while driving or distracted in other ways.
SGI Spokesman Tyler McMurchy says getting caught using, manipulating, or viewing a cell phone or driving without due care and attention can be costly, as a first offence is a $580 dollar fine and four demerits.
Repeat offences within one year result in significantly higher tickets and 7-day vehicle impoundments. A second offence is a $14-hundred ticket and $21-hundred for a third offence.
“We want to advise the public that not only are the penalties for distracted driving quite significant, the potential downsides of distracted driving are much more significant than that when we’re talking about injuries and potential fatalities.” McMurchy said.
Numbers from SGI show an average of 780 people were injured over the last 5 years (2017-2021) in collisions caused by driver distraction, which translates to one out of every five auto vehicle injuries. Distracted driving also results in an average of 21.6 fatalities per year.
In reference to the latest public safety awareness campaign, SGI’s Tyler McMurchy is urging people to “Just Drive”.
“When you are on the road, chose to stay focused, you can set your playlist in advance, set your route on your GPS, or you can hand over the phone to your co-pilot, throw it in the glove box if that’s going to be too tempting.” he said.
