A new media release from SGI shows the number of distracted and impaired driving offences during the month of January.

Impaired driving is always dangerous, and in January, 284 people were given tickets for making that choice. While 231 tickets were given out for the act itself, 53 tickets were given for roadside administrative suspensions.

Not everyone drinks alcohol, but nearly everyone has a phone these days, and when it comes to distracted driving, the number of tickets is a bit steeper.

January saw 509 distracted driving tickets issued by Saskatchewan police, with 405 of those tickets being specifically for cell phone use. While this number is still high, it’s actually staying consistent with a downward trend that has been occurring since November.

The fines for distracted driving tickets increased drastically at the start of February, and police have consequentially been keeping an eye out for distracted drivers more than usual, and it is expected that they will continue to do so now that the fines have increased.

Of course, impaired and distracted drivers weren’t the only ones to receive tickets last month. In January, police also issued tickets for 428 seat-belt offences, and 5,563 aggressive driving cases.

While the decline in distracted driving cases is a good trend, it is unlikely that they will disappear entirely, even with the new fines. Once the numbers are in, a look at February’s distracted driving cases will show if this trend is one that will continue, or if it was just a case of drivers being worried about paying a couple of extra dollars.

SGI reminds drivers that their Traffic Safety Spotlight for February is distracted driving and that multiple offences can lead to demerit points on a license, and even a vehicle impoundment.