According to a new report from Metro News, the number of distracted driving tickets issued to drivers in Calgary fell year-over-year.

Staff Sgt. Paul Stacey said that distracted driving tickets in Calgary are down by 278 tickets from the same time last year. Stacey said that the decrease in tickets came from the harsher legislation was passed supporting increased penalties. In a statement, he said:

“I was hoping to see the numbers drop this year because finally the piece of the law that we’ve been pushing for has come into play. It has a bigger impact then just a fine alone because although a fine is a tough thing to swallow, losing the demerits is even tougher to swallow.”

The latest legislation now imposes a $287 fine with a possible gain of three demerit points. Stacey says that a distracted driving ticket can have a huge impact on auto insurance and it could lead to the driver losing their licence.