As of June 1, the provincial government in British Columbia imposed new rules that brought a heftier penalty to distracted drivers.

In June, Vancouver Police issued a total of 490 distracted driving tickets, which is a decrease of about 14 percent when compared to the same time period last year. In a statement, Const. Brian Montague said:

“It’s a decrease, but not as much as we’d like to see. Time will tell whether these fines have a good impact.”

First-time offenders are now looking at a fine of $543 dollars as well as four demerit points. For the second offence, you’ll be on the hook for more than $800.

If you get caught a third time, the fine can be as much as $1,600. Major offenders could be slapped with fines of approximately $15,000. Over the past three years, approximately 50,000 distracted driving tickets have been issued annually.

[via CBC News]