‘Large number’ of drivers on phones while in rush hour traffic in Ottawa
Posted Jun 17, 2026 01:28:59 PM.
Last Updated Jun 17, 2026 01:29:38 PM.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are putting out a plea to drivers to stay off their phones — and laptops — while on the roads.
In a media release, officers say they “continue to see a large number of drivers using cell phones while driving.”
In an egregious case, police said they caught a driver on their laptop and phone. It happened just before 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, peak rush hour along Highway 417.
“The driver was so distracted, that he didn’t see the police car right beside him,” officials said.
This is the second time police have caught someone using their laptop while driving in the nation’s capital.
This comes as police shared photos of some of the drivers caught previously by OPP. Officers say that they caught several people sitting in traffic near lane closures on Hwy. 417.
Each driver was charged with distracted driving, a $615 fine, three demerit points and a three-day driving suspension, if convicted.
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 being injured in distracted driving every half an hour.
