237 Manitoba drivers were deprived of a driver license in just three days period for distracted driving after new provincial laws punishing this offense started on November 1st, according to statistics compiled by Manitoba Public Insurance.
The Winnipeg Police Service revoked 149 driver's licenses, while the RCMP Police Service and Brandon Police Service reported that 67 and 21 drivers, respectively, were punished for using hand-held electronic devices while driving.
“Distracted driving remains a very serious road safety issue in Manitoba,” said Satvir Jatana, vice president of public relations for Manitoba Public Insurance, on Wednesday. “Only in 2017, a distraction from driving became a factor contributing to more than 15,000 collisions, while 30 people died in motor vehicle accidents.”
In addition to immediately suspending a driver license, drivers who are punished for using a handheld electronic device while driving also receive a fine of $ 672 and five points in the Driver Safety RatingScale.
A lot of accidents on the road happened because drivers are in a hurry, distracted or simply intentionally do not follow the rules and regulations. Every year, about 421,000 people are injured in crashes that have involved a driver who was distracted in some way. Over 78% of all distracted drivers are distracted because they have been texting while driving.
In 2018 that number is already much higher throughout Canada. Manitoba alone seeing a 25% increase in road fatalities. Most of those accidents happening due to drivers being distracted and over 78% of them were texting, just imagine that number.
Unfortunately, a lot of those drivers are teenagers, who are not just irresponsible to their own vehicles and lives, but to other people’s health and lives as well. Some drivers just really don’t care about the rules and driving regulations, they do not care for their own safety and their passengers, friends and family members.
“Our officers regularly see distracted drivers cause collisions that result in serious injury and even death on roadways throughout the province,” said Scott Kolody, Manitoba RCMP’s commanding officer and president of the Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police.
“These new, strong penalties send a very clear message that such driving behavior will not be tolerated.
So fellow Winnipeggers please don’t text and drive, keep our roads safe and easy to drive. Let’s all be responsible drivers and care for each other, so at the end of the day, we can all come back home to our loved ones.