Distracted Driving Tickets Drop in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2015

According to CBC News, distracted driving tickets saw a decline in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2015, based on data revealed through access to information.

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers issued 322 tickets for distracted driving—at $110 a piece—in January alone, but only issued 17 in September.

The decline looks to be due to the RNC’s Operation Ringtone, launched a year ago to target distracted drivers, which put officers in plain clothes or as construction workers to spot drivers using any wireless device behind the wheel–not just smartphones or cellphones.

During February and March of this year, around 200 tickets were issued, but dropped to about 50 per month in July and August, then to 17 in September. Overall, 1,144 tickets were issued between January and September of 2015.

Last month, The Co-operators announced they would fund research on distracted driving in Canada with the Canadian Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF).