Distracted driving licence suspensions climb in Manitoba

Statistics released by Manitoba Public Insurance suggest Manitobans aren't getting the connection astir the dangers of distracted driving.

"There's a cognition that distracted driving is simply a lesser of the evils compared to impaired driving and speeding and those types of things," MPI spokesperson Tara Seel said.

"But really, what we're seeing is that distracted driving is causing the astir fatalities connected Manitoba roadways, truthful radical are dying successful larger numbers than impaired driving oregon speeding."

More Manitoba licences were suspended for distracted driving successful 2024 than successful immoderate of the 4 erstwhile years, MPI said, releasing numbers arsenic portion of its April Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign.

In 2023, determination were 2,469 three-day suspensions and 98 seven-day suspensions for distracted driving.

In 2024, that fig jumped to 2,817 three-day suspensions and 150 seven-day suspensions.

Luna Zuniga knows first-hand the consequences of drivers not paying attraction down the wheel.

She was deed by a car successful February 2024, portion moving arsenic an education assistant and crossing defender for an simple school. 

"I deliberation that our phones, arsenic they're evolving, the rules of the roadworthy person not kept up with that," Zuniga said.

After a twelvemonth of physiotherapy, she's still struggling to determination astir comfortably. 

Before the accident, she led a precise progressive life, moving six miles a day, walking her dog and moving arsenic an artist.

Getting deed by a car left her with a agelong database of injuries, including breached bones successful her near limb and arm, breached ribs, torn tendons and a superior caput injury.

"It lone took maine a fewer seconds to measurement onto the road, and my beingness changed forever. I don't cognize what my beingness volition look similar successful the future. I don't cognize what I'll beryllium capable to do," Zuniga said.

The driver, a 73-year-old man, was charged with 1 number of driving carelessly, Winnipeg constabulary said. The Manitoba Highway Traffic Act offence carries a punishment of a good of up to $5,000 and licence suspension of up to 1 year.

Winnipeg constabulary accidental determination isn't a distracted driving summons successful the Manitoba Highway Traffic Act, truthful they tin lone contented a summons for utilizing a compartment telephone oregon an physics hand-held instrumentality portion driving. However, radical tin beryllium charged for driving carelessly, which is simply a broader word that encompasses immoderate negligent driving behaviour that endangers others.

Zuniga doesn't deliberation a suspension is enough.

"I'm reasoning astir each those drivers who proceed to drive. They're capable to spell to work, they're capable to spell hang out with friends, and again, I'm stuck looking retired a window," Zuniga said.

Distracted driving caused 675 collisions successful Manitoba successful 2024, and much than 50 per cent of those happened successful Winnipeg, MPI said. Of the 84 radical killed successful Manitoba owed to centrifugal conveyance collisions, 34 were owed to distracted driving.

"I deliberation what we're experiencing is each idiosyncratic driver's like, 'Oh, it's conscionable going to instrumentality maine a second. I'll conscionable beryllium a second,' without realizing that possibly that 2nd is the 1 that means either preventing a collision oregon causing one," said Tara Seel, media pb for Manitoba Public Insurance.

If distracted driving causes a collision, you could suffer your licence permanently, Seel said, or driblet down connected the operator information standing scale, which increases the costs of licensing.

There are 3 kinds of distractions, said Terris Baran, programming manager of Safety Services Manitoba, a not-for-profit grooming enactment that offers a liable driving people that teaches radical astir the dangers of distracted driving and however to alteration atrocious habits.

"You person a ocular distraction — eyes disconnected the road, manual distractions, which is your manus oregon hands disconnected the wheel, and a cognitive distraction, which is your caput disconnected of the road," Baran said.

"But the infinitesimal we prosecute successful a cellphone text, whether it beryllium speechmaking oregon responding, you're taking each 3 distant astatine the nonstop aforesaid time, leaving thing near connected the road, and seconds bash count."

Some drivers deliberation they tin multitask down the wheel, but driving requires 100 per cent of your attention, Baran said.

"You're wanting to drawback that phone. Stop. We bash cognize close from wrong, we bash cognize what we should beryllium doing and what we shouldn't beryllium doing," he said.

"Rezone, refocus, and the much you tin drawback yourself doing that, it volition go automatic implicit time."

The Winnipeg Police Service said it's ramping up enforcement connected distracted drivers.

There are dedicated officers connected thoroughfare corners to drawback drivers successful the act, postulation division Sgt. Marc Leveque said.

Most of what they're seeing is radical connected their cellphones, helium said.

"What we're looking for is blatant and evident cellphone usage — either holding it successful their thigh and looking down portion they're stopped astatine a reddish light, which radical deliberation they tin usage their phones portion they're stopped successful traffic, and that's not the case," Leveque said.

There's nary distracted driving summons successful the Highway Traffic Act, truthful police issue a summons for utilizing a cellphone oregon different physics instrumentality portion driving. 

As of March 26, 638 radical had already had their licences suspended this twelvemonth due to the fact that of distracted driving. Leveque said the uptick successful suspensions is owed to accrued WPS enforcement.