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Const. Mike Seel isn’t happy that he has set a personal best.
The Regina Police Service officer told The Greg Morgan Morning Show on Thursday that he has handed out 1,180 tickets so far this year to drivers for being on their cellphones. He wrote 1,130 such tickets all of last year.
In total, Seel added, police officers in the city have issued 1,550 cellphone tickets so far in 2019. That number was 1,520 last year.
“I truly believe people know they can’t do it, (but) they’re just choosing to not follow that,” Seel said.
Seel was at the legislative building on Wednesday for the throne speech, in which the Saskatchewan government said it was looking to increase penalties for distracted driving.
It’s unclear what the harsher penalties would be, but Seel believes their implementation would cut down on the instances of distracted driving.
“It’s unfortunate but it’s necessary,” he said after the throne speech. “I don’t like the amount of cellphones that I see every day and (the corresponding tickets) that I have to write, but I’m seeing it everywhere I go.”
On Thursday, SGI said police officers in the province handed out 901 tickets for distracted driving in September. That included 773 tickets for using a cellphone while driving.
Earlier this week, Seel took to Twitter to tell the story of two drivers he pulled over at the same time. One man who was on his cellphone was getting his third ticket for that offence since 2017, while the other was being ticketed for driving while on his cellphone for the second time since 2012.
First 2 for 1 in a while. Truck driver had phone in lap watching videos (Drivers 2nd cell phone ticket since 2012). Van in front was texting while driving (Drivers 3rd cell phone ticket since 2017). @reginapolice #justdrive pic.twitter.com/rGdGNrXVAd
— Cst Mike Hawkeye Seel (@RPSTrafficUnit) October 22, 2019
Seel noted that drivers will have their vehicles impounded for seven days if they get a second cellphone ticket in a 12-month span. If the government does decide to make the penalties more onerous, Seel isn’t sure what those should be.
“I don’t know whether it’s going to be taking your car on the first offence or taking it longer on the second offence or increasing it the second time you get (caught),” he said.
“People always say, ‘Well, maybe we should be doing something that, instead of negative, (is) positive.’ But I always let them know, ‘If you’re a good driver and you don’t get into any accidents or (get) any tickets, every year you have that, you actually get a discount on your licence through SGI.’ That’s money in your pocket for being a good driver.”
Seel said he has seen drivers drop their cellphones when he pulls up beside them, so he knows they are concerned about the fines and demerit points. He also knows that the message is getting out, whether it’s via SGI’s commercials, his appearances in the media or his posts on Twitter.
But that hasn’t stopped the problem from happening.
“There will still be people who just choose to do it,” Seel said. “Even with lowering the speeds (in school zones) in September, there are still a lot of people who chose to speed.
“It’s unfortunate, but I believe (enacting stiffer penalties) is necessary because people just continue to do it. It’s now the leading cause of accidents causing injury in the province. It was second last year, so it’s getting worse.”