REGINA — The minister responsible for Saskatchewan Government Insurance says convictions for hand-held cellphone use while driving are high in part because of better enforcement.
However, Don McMorris also admits too many people are still breaking the law.
Legislation banning the use of hand-held cellphones while driving became law Jan. 1, 2010, in Saskatchewan.
SGI says there were just over 1,800 convictions that year and the number kept climbing to reach about 4,900 in 2014, before dropping back slightly last year to 4,300.
McMorris says there are more police officers on the road and they've learned how to better spot when people are using their hand-held phones while driving.
Still, he says the numbers are not acceptable and he hopes public education campaigns will help inform people about the danger.
"And now it's just a matter of the people that are driving doing their job," says McMorris.
"You hear of stories, and you wonder, man, was that person texting and if they were, how devastating that is when you look at a fatal accident."
Distracted driving surpassed impaired driving as the number one contributing factor in fatal crashes in 2012, but McMorris says it's now ranked third behind impaired driving and speeding.
McMorris says he still sees people using their hand-held cellphone while driving, such as while stopped at a red light.
"It drives me nuts," he says.
"You know people are getting away from holding the phone to the ear because they know that's too obvious, so they're texting down below and their eyes are down.
