Ontario drivers face $155 fines in cellphone ban
Starting Monday drivers in Ontario could be paying a price for texting friends, picking up a cellphone to call the boss or browsing through song selections on mp3 players.
Drivers can be forgiven for thinking Ontario’s so-called distracted driver law was already in effect – and it was – but as of 12:01 a.m. Monday anyone caught breaking the law will be slapped with a $155 fine.
But if a driver challenges that ticket in court the judge has the discretion to knock it down to as low as $60 or boost it to up to $500. Similar legislation has been in effect in British Columbia since Jan. 1, but starting Monday drivers in that province caught using a hand-held cellphone could be fined $167 and people texting or emailing will net three demerit points.
“There are an awful lot of distractions in your vehicle and really, driving is a 100 per cent concentration effort at all times,” said Ontario Provincial Police Const. Graham Williamson.
“It only takes a moment of distraction for something to happen.”
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