OPP issues distracted driver a ticket on Highway 416

The Grenville County detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) discovered a vehicle driving erratically on Highway 416, during an evening patrol over the weekend.

According to police, the driver was using a cellphone while operating a vehicle and this led to the vehicle “driving all over the roadway.”

The driver was issued a $615 ticket for using a cell phone while driving, wrote OPP in a post on X.

OPP are warning against distracted driving, reminding drivers that there will be significant consequences for this behaviour.

Based on data from 2021, distracted driving contributed to approximately 22.5 per cent of fatal collisions and 25.5 per cent of serious injury collisions in Canada — situations that were entirely preventable, police wrote.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, while people are driving or stopped in traffic or at a red light, it is illegal to:

• Use a phone or other hand-held wireless communication device to text or dial – people can only touch a device to call 911 in an emergency
• Use a hand-held electronic entertainment device, such as a tablet or portable gaming console
• View display screens unrelated to driving, such as watching a video
• Program a GPS device, except by voice commands

“It is a law for a reason,” wrote OPP. “Save your money this holiday season, and help us keep Ontario roads safe – put the phone away.”