Alberta man receives 13th conviction for distracted driving

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Distracted driving became illegal in Alberta on September 1, 2011. The man received his first ticket for distracted driving on the same day.

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Since then, he has been convicted a total of 13 times and has paid a total of $7,655.

Alberta RCMP Sgt. Darrin Turnbull told Pattison Media that the organization wanted to bring attention to this case to make Albertans aware of how much these penalties can add up.

He also told Pattison Media that the first handful of convictions were prior to the province introducing demerit points, and when the fine was only $172.

According to the RCMP, distracted driving is the primary cause of more than 20 per cent of all collisions and distracted drivers are three times more likely than attentive drivers to be involved in a collision.

Under the Traffic Safety Act, drivers are prohibited from doing any of the following, even while stopped in traffic or at red lights:

• Using hand-held mobile devices
• Texting or emailing
• Using electronic devices such as laptop computers, video games, cameras, video entertainment displays, and portable audio players
• Entering information on GPS units
• Reading printed materials
• Writing, printing, or sketching
• Personal grooming, such as brushing and flossing teeth, putting on makeup, curling hair, clipping nails, or shaving

Over the Labour Day long weekend in 2022, Alberta RCMP issued 74 fines for distracted driving.

READ MORE: Multiple collisions and tickets issued on Alberta highways over Labour Day weekend