As stiffer penalties for distracted driving came into effect last Saturday, the Saskatchewan Government Insurance has released figures that say 91 separate vehicles were impounded in 2019 due to repeat distracted driving offenders.
According to a new report from CBC, a distracted driver or an inattentive driver factored into more than 6,000 collisions in 2018. Those collisions resulted in 774 injuries and 22 deaths, while more than 1,000 drivers were ticketed for distracted driving during the months of May and July.
Just last weekend, steeper penalties were introduced to deter distracted and inattentive driving, raising the cost to $580 CAD with four demerit points for first-time offenders. The penalty was previously set at $280.
Number two within one year gets you a $1,400 CAD fine, four demerit points, and can lead to a seven-day vehicle seizure, while a third offense in the same year carries with it a $2,100 fine, four demerit points, and another seven-day seizure.
Each demerit point brings an additional $50 penalty for drivers who fall below zero, meaning that a driver starting at zero points then receiving three tickets would pay an additional $1,200 CAD in penalties on top of the ticket fines.
Owners are responsible for all impound and towing fees.
