Distracted driving infractions take a slight dip in November: SGI

For the first time in nine months, distracted driving incidents are dipping below 700 per month, according to the latest driving statistics SGI is putting out for November.

In an emailed media release, the insurance provider said police issued 653 distracted driving tickets, 560 of which were for cell phone use.

The last time the stat was below 700 was in February.

The dip also comes on the heels of a not-so-nice October record for the province: 1,290 cases of distracted driving, 1,148 of which were for cell phone use.

SGI also used police data to report 286 impaired driving infractions for November; 255 of those (89 per cent) led to criminal charges.

Police issued 5,172 tickets for speeding or aggressive driving in the month, and 322 tickets for improper seatbelt or child restraint usage.

SGI and Saskatchewan police services used November to focus on those driving without a registered licence, with a suspended licence or with unregistered licence plates.

Of those types of cases, police ticketed 1,106 people.

“It’s a safety concern when drivers continue to drive after getting their licence suspended because an authority has determined that they are not allowed to operate a motor vehicle. There are a number of reasons for licence suspensions, including impaired driving offences, poor driving records and failing to live up to obligations imposed by SGI or the courts,” the Crown Corporation wrote in the media release.