Drivers in the province are being advised to take extra care with their phones to avoid distracted driving charges.
Prince Albert motorist, Kent Worth, says he was ticketed for turning over his phone that was placed on his passenger seat. Worth was frustrated, as he was under the impression that you had to be operating the phone in order to be charged.
“I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong,” said Worth. “I misinterpreted what I was being charged for until I was contacted by the police.”
Worth spoke with police after the incident, and was told that distracted driving tickets can be handed out at an officer’s discretion and that tickets could be given out for merely having a device within reach. A Facebook post from Worth about the charge and his conversation with officers received 2,450 shares and a litany of comments by upset drivers.
According to SGI’s website, experienced drivers who have finished the GDL program are permitted to operate “hands-free” or “one-touch” devices, provided they are mounted in a cradle, the visor or on the dashboard.
Rules pertaining to cellphone use include the caveat that law enforcement can still make charges for driving without due care and attention if a motorist is deemed to be putting themselves or others on the road at risk.
According to Saskatoon-based lawyer, Ron Piche, this is how officers lay charges for having devices within reach.
“People are being charged simply for having cellphones accessible, especially where motorists cannot explain that they’re using a (phone) cradle or visor,” remarked Piche. “Obviously, the officer’s concluding that the driver is not using a visor or cradle and suggesting that since they haven’t done that, they’re holding, manipulating or using the phone.”
Piche shared some tips for those avoiding the hefty penalties attached to distracted driving tickets.
“SGI’s line these days is simply to put it (phone) either into glove compartments, or a briefcase or other means where it’s simply not accessible,” says Piche. “I think that trumps any suggestion that the motorist was using the phone in any way.”
Distracted driving tickets in the province come with a fine of $280 and four demerit points. In addition, if a driver receives the same charge within a year, their vehicle will be impounded for seven days.
(PHOTO: Cellphone on seat of car. Photo courtesy of Travis Radke.)