News - Distracted Driving

April 1st kicked off Distracted Driving Awareness Month and Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) recorded more drivers having their licences suspended for distracted driving in 2024 than in the previous five years.

On Wednesday April 3rd through Friday the 5th, Steinbach RCMP Detachment and Traffic Services members combined their efforts in an MPI funded campaign related to distracted driving.

Manitoba Public Insurance is once again funding a highly successful road safety initiative aimed at drivers who continue to illegally use hand-held electronic devices while driving.

A 60-something driver holds the dubious distinction of becoming the first person to receive a seven-day driver licence suspension for using a smartphone while driving. Manitoba’s new distracted driving laws took effect November 1.

As of the end of November, 237 Manitoba drivers have had their driver’s licence suspended – for the minimum three-day period – since Manitoba’s new distracted driving law took effect November 1.

Manitobans are reminded that stricter penalties for distracted driving come into force November 1, 2018.

Changes under The Highway Traffic Act and the Drivers and Vehicles Act that come into force Nov. 1 will allow for short-term roadside licence suspensions for using a cellphone or other hand-operated electronic devices while driving.

Steinbach RCMP reported that during a recent Distracted Driving enforcement campaign in the area, 130 people were issued tickets for the use of handheld electronic devices.

With an average of one in three road deaths in Manitoba and thousands of collisions attributed to distracted driving annually, Manitoba Public Insurance is once again funding a highly successful road safety initiative aimed at drivers who continue to illegally use hand-held electronic devices while driving.

The government of Manitoba introduced proposed changes to provincial laws that would provide stricter penalties to confront the dangerous and deadly issue of distracted driving.