Saskatoon police seize vehicle of driver caught using phone at red light
Saskatoon police have charged a driver $1400 for using their phone while stopped at a red light.
“DYK? Using your cell phone while stopped at a red light is still distracted driving,” the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) traffic unit posted on Twitter on Monday.
DYK? Using your cell phone while stopped at a red light is still distracted driving.
— SPS Traffic Unit (@SPSTraffic) February 6, 2023
We know this driver did because it wasn’t their first offence. That means:
💰 $1400 ticket
🚘 7 day vehicle impound pic.twitter.com/PnS9TRnp15
“We know this driver did because it wasn’t their first offence. That means $1400 ticket, seven-day vehicle impound.”
According to the SGI website, it’s illegal to use, hold, view or manipulate a hand-held cell phone while driving.
“You can use a hands-free device if it can be activated with voice commands or one-touch, and is mounted on the dashboard or visor in a cradle. New drivers can’t use hands-free devices at all,” SGI said.
The penalty for using a cell phone while driving changes depending on whether it’s the first time or not.
The first time drivers are caught they can get a $580 ticket and four demerit points. The second time (if it’s within a year of the first offence) drivers face a $1,400 ticket, four demerit points and a seven-day vehicle seizure. The third time drivers are caught using their phone will lead to a $2,100 ticket, four demerit points and a seven-day vehicle seizure.
“Driver inattention and distraction are responsible for 14 per cent of all collisions. On average, it leads to 19 fatalities a year in Saskatchewan (based on an average from 2019 - 2021),” according to SGI.
CAA statistics say that texting while driving is the number one threat to personal safety on the road. About 1.6 million crashes each year are due to mobile phone use while driving, the CAA says.
They also note that 47 per cent of Canadians “admit they have typed out or used the voice-memo feature to send a message while driving.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.