After six months, we still aren’t getting the message.
In June, Ottawa police handed out its highest number of tickets for distracted driving since it began cracking down on drivers using hand-held communications devices while behind the wheel.
In total, police charged 377 drivers after they were caught texting, talking on cellphones, and even programming GPS devices while on the road. Several of these charges were laid following serious collisions, Larouche said.
Although the use of hand-held communications devices while driving has been banned in Ontario since Oct. 26, 2009, police here gave drivers a three-month grace period to allow for education.
“There’s a percentage of people who are not getting the message,” said Ottawa police Const. Kathy Larouche.
“The ultimate goal is obviously to see zero infractions,” said Larouche. “But it’s probably not possible because there’s always going to be that small percentage of people.”
