Number of distracted driving tickets drops again

For the third straight month, the number of distracted driving offences recorded in Saskatchewan decreased.

According to SGI, Saskatchewan police officers issued 509 tickets for distracted driving in January. That was down from 534 tickets in December and 653 in November.

The number for January also is less than half of the 1,290 offences recorded in October, perhaps suggesting that Saskatchewan’s tougher penalties for distracted driving are getting drivers’ attention.

The total in January included 405 tickets for cellphone use behind the wheel, which also represented a downward trend. There were 408 such offences in December, 560 in November and 1,148 in October.

There also were 5,563 tickets issued for speeding and aggressive driving in January, which was the highest total since 6,583 citations were handed out in October.

As well, there were 428 tickets handed out last month for seatbelt offences and 284 impaired driving arrests were made.