Driver facing suspension after using phone on Hwy. 417
Posted Sep 25, 2025 01:29:56 PM.
Last Updated Sep 25, 2025 01:32:09 PM.
An Ottawa driver is suspended from driving after a police officer caught them using their phone behind the wheel.
It happened on Highway 417 by Carling Avenue on Thursday, around 12:30 p.m. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said in a release that the driver was charged with distracted driving, faces a $615 fine and three demerit points.
Police also note the driver is under a three-day driving suspension upon conviction.
According to data from Statistics Canada, distraction accounts for 19.9 per cent of fatal collisions, along with speeding and impaired driving. In Ontario, a driver using a phone is four times more likely to crash than a driver focusing on the road, according to the province’s website. This results in one person injured in distracted driving every half an hour.
Recent statistics from OPP indicate that distracted driving has surpassed impaired driving as the leading cause of vehicle-related deaths in Ontario.
