Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) charged 8,870 drivers across the province for irresponsible behaviour behind the wheel. According to the OPP, there was an 11 per cent increase in the charges laid this year compared to last year.
The blitz was part of an annual public awareness campaign known as Operation Impact, a program intended to educate drivers on the big four causes of injury and death on Ontario highways: speeding, impaired driving, seatbelt usage, and—distracted driving.
This year, deaths caused by distracted driving are up 40 per cent compared to the same time in 2023. It’s an alarming increase, and many are left wondering what’s to blame. Sergeant Ted Dongelmans, a spokesperson for the OPP’s Highway Safety Division, said in an email that it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why distracted driving is up because the cause of distraction is often undetermined during collision investigations. But the use of cellphones while driving plays a big role.
Researchers have found that cell phone use (social media apps, in particular) is linked to the release of dopamine, the “feel-good” hormone. According to researchers, our dopamine capacity shrinks the more we interact with these apps, making us want to check our phones more frequently. But one quick look can lead to one big mistake.
Driving while using a cell phone or other entertainment device has been illegal in Ontario since October 2009. Under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, the penalty (on your first conviction) is a minimum fine of $500, a maximum fine of $1,000, and a three-day license suspension. If you’re convicted a second time, the maximum fine jumps to $2,000 with a seven-day license suspension, and after a third conviction, the maximum fine jumps to $3,000 with a 30-day license suspension.
If you collide with someone while driving and using a device, you can be charged with careless operation, resulting in a maximum fine of $2,000, a license suspension of two years, and imprisonment for up to six months. If you harm or kill someone in the collision, the penalty increases to a maximum fine of $50,000, a 10-year license suspension, and imprisonment for up to two years.
Even if you don’t use your phone while driving, if you frequently look at directions, change the radio station, check on a child in the backseat, or glance down at a spilled drink, these actions can all be linked to distracted driving. In a 2024 study released by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), 42 per cent of Ontario drivers had, in at least one instance, met the criteria for being distracted drivers, with only two per cent of them being charged.
Dongelmans says beyond Operation Impact, the OPP is continuing to regularly conduct patrols focused on distracted driving. “Officers utilize marked and unmarked police vehicles to patrol areas which are recognized as problematic for those risky driving behaviours.” To date, OPP officers have laid 3,610 distracted driving charges across Ontario in 2024.
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