The start of another month brings another safety spotlight for SGI - this time distracted driving

Across the province in March, Police will be watching for drivers committing a variety of distracted driving infractions. They most popularly include any manipulation of a cellphone behind the wheel - calling, texting, social media use, etc.

Although cellphone use is the popular infraction, others include eating, putting on makeup, or programming a GPS - all activities which SGI suggests should be done prior to driving.

At the start of 2017, cellphone legislation was strengthened across the province. Rule changes now prohibit drivers from using, viewing, holding or manipulating mobile devices while driving. If activated with voice commands or one-touch, and are dashboard, visor or cradle mounted, experienced drivers can use hands-free cellphones. However any and all drivers in a Graduated Driver Licensing program can't use cellphones at all - not even hands-free.

In a release from SGI, the Government agency states that distracted driving remains the top contributing factor of all collisions in Saskatchewan, and a top contributing factor in fatal collisions. In 2015 alone, SGI shares there were nearly 5,700 collisions in Saskatchewan due to distracted driving, where 802 people were injured and 36 were killed.

With the issue proven to continuously be prevalent in the province, SGI has prepared a list of tips to help motorists drive free of distractions:

  • Silence your phone and put it out of reach before getting behind the wheel.
  • Designate a passenger to navigate, adjust controls, and reply to texts or calls.
  • Limit the number of passengers in the vehicle when driving.
  • If children or pets need extra attention, pull over to care for them.
  • Apply makeup, select music or find personal items before driving.
  • Call out your friends and family if you see them using a cellphone behind the wheel – it may save their life.

With March's spotlight set to take flight, the results from January's traffic safety spotlight is in. For the fourth consecutive month, January saw SGI and Police across the province focus on impaired driving.

Stemming from the month's crackdown, 276 people were charged with impaired driving-related offences. Of the 276 infractions, all but seven people were charged with exceeding .08 BAC, impaired driving or refusing to provide a breath sample. The remaining seven people were charged with having a blood alcohol content (BAC) between .04 - .08.

Other infractions during the spotlight include:

  • 3,376 tickets for speeding/aggressive driving,
  • 397 tickets for distracted driving (321 of those were for cellphone use), and
  • 322 tickets regarding seatbelts/child car seats.

Look to SwiftCurrentOnline at the end of the month for results on February's traffic safety spotlight on occupant safety.