Enforcement begins on Juliy 15th on cellphone talking/texting ban for drivers

Enforcement begins July 15th on cellphone ban for drivers

WINNIPEG - Drivers caught by police using a hand-held cellphone or texting someone face a $191 fine as of July 15, the province said today.

Transportation Minister Steve Ashton said Thursday police will use their discretion how they enforce the new law and when they hand out a ticket.

"Let me make it very clear," Ashton said. "As of July 15 you will have three choices. If you want to conduct a call on a cellphone or text you can either pull over, use hands-free or risk getting a ticket."

The new ban brings Manitoba into step with other provinces, states and countries that have similar laws against people using hand-held devices in traffic. Use of these devices while driving has skyrocketed in recent years with the spread of wireless technology. At the same time experts say road crashes have gone up, too.

The ban is supported by CAA Manitoba and Manitoba Public Insurance. CAA Manitoba president Mike Mager said for the ban to improve road safety there has to be consistent police enforcement.

A city police spokesman said police are still formalizing how and when enforcement will start. An RCMP spokesperson said Mounties will likely start enforcing it July 15.

"The public was expecting it," Sgt. Line Karpish said, referring to extensive media coverage. "They ought to be ready for it July 15."

Ashton said there will be a public education campaign that the ban is coming into force.

He also said he expects Manitobans to respect the law in the same way they respected new laws that restricted smoking in public places and mandatory seatbelt laws.

"The goal of this is to get people safer on the road," Ashton said.

The legislation allows the use of cellphones while driving to make telephone calls, provided they are equipped as hands-free devices and used in a hands-free manner. The law also allows use of a hand-held cellphone to call the police, fire or ambulance service in an emergency.

MB cellphone ban starts July 15th

Drivers caught texting or using handheld cellphones in Manitoba face steep fines as of July 15.

That's when a law banning those activities comes into effect, Transportation Minister Steve Ashton announced Thursday.

"We know the hazards that distracted drivers create on our roads. Talking on a hand-held cellphone and texting are major distractions while driving and we're moving to make our roads safer for all Manitobans," Ashton stated in a government news release.

'Driving a motor vehicle requires the total concentration of a driver, as life-saving decisions are often made in an instant.'—Marilyn McLaren, Manitoba Public Insurance

A public-education, multimedia campaign was launched in September 2009 to prepare motorists for the changes, but the date for the new law had not yet been announced.

Under the amendments to the Highway Traffic Act, motorists face a fine of almost $200 if caught breaking the new law.

No smoking with kids in car

The amendments also ban smoking in vehicles when children under the age of 16 are present. That fine is also about $200.

"Driving a motor vehicle requires the total concentration of a driver, as life-saving decisions are often made in an instant," said Manitoba Public Insurance CEO and president Marilyn McLaren.

"Text messaging or using a handheld cellphone while driving are both identified forms of driver distraction that can lead to a crash."

British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have comparable laws and Alberta recently introduced legislation banning the use of handheld cellphones while driving.

Several jurisdictions also have laws prohibiting smoking in vehicles with children present, including British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

Manitoba's legislation allows the use of cellphones while driving to make telephone calls, provided they are equipped as hands-free devices and used in a hands-free manner.

The law also allows use of a handheld cellphone to call the police, fire or ambulance service in an emergency.

Good. If it saves one life - and I'm sure it will - it's well worth it.  

Even the non-held devices take away your attention. Do we need to be in contact all the time? Is it worth it?

What did people do BEFORE cell phones??? Oh yeah... they waited until they GOT HOME.... this is not a difficult thing. We've all become very spoiled.

Ticket away!!!

anyone else foresee cars darting in and out of traffic, half parked on the shoulder or boulevard in a rush to answer or use their phone?

I think the cost of the fine is suitable for getting caught. More people are using blue-tooth for hands-free. There are different models whether you want the one that goes on your ear or the little blue-tooth box that clips on your visor in your car. That is a pretty handy device and it syncs to pretty much any phone. Besides, most of us have voicemail on our phones... take a message and answer it later.

Excellent. Hopefully it's enforced fairly and consistently. And hopefully people take responsibility and recognize that texting or talking on the phone while driving is VERY dangerous.

Curious how "pull over" will be defined. Will the vehicle need to be parked? Engine off? Or is simply pulling over to the side of the road, onto the shoulder, foot on the brake, considered "pulled over"?

I still think changing CDs or those people that smoke when they drive are more dangerous than people talking on the phone...

This is a good law. You need both hands on the wheel to maintain control while driving through all the potholes. There is nothing worse than hitting a pothole, and your cell phone goes flying into the backseat and you have to dig for it.

Why wait until July 15? Do it now. I am sick of having to get out of the way of idiots with a cell phone glued to their head and swerving across the road. Even though it doesn't entirely solve the problem, at least buy a wireless headset if your life is so dependent on talking while driving.

First offense, $191. 2nd, double fine and demerits. 3rd, no more licence without driver education.

MPI should compensate drivers for the all/part of a purchase of a hands free device - similar to what they did with theft immobilizers. That implementation was sucessful in lowering car theft numbers. Couldn't the same be assumed for lowering the number of vehicle accidents if one was using a hands free? Step up MPI!

Hang up and drive. Never mind the hands free crap. It's not the lack of 2 hands on the wheel that causes crashes, it's the brain power that should be used for driving related tasks which is being diverted to a more-often-than-not pointless conversation that could be had another time.

Face it folks, you're just not that important. If you were, you'd have a driver and this wouldn't be an issue.

I don't see the difference in talking with a passanger or on a phone while driving, they are both distractions, texting different story but talking has nothing to do with nothing. What about ppl that drink coffee or do their make up in the car while driving? Hot coffee spilled on yourself cuz you had to slam on your break can cause alot more than someone just talking on the phone and slamming on their breaks as they will still pay attention to the road unlike someone burned by hot coffee will concentrate on the pain it caused them or the damage to the car and start swirving all over. If all people tested for a drivers license on a standard transmission car and learned how to drive and control your car with distractions to learn to be calm and be able to respond in a split of a second in different situations then no ban would need to be in place and we would have better prepared drivers, but we like to give out drivers license to absolutely anyone that passes our easiest driving tests on our easiest roads on easiest automatic transmission and are hesitent each time they get in the car. I would love to see any Canadian to drive in any European country. Canadians are really bad drivers period which is really sad as we have the easiest roads comparing to the rest of the world. Keep it up ppl, soon we won't be able to pick our noses while driving because we won't have two hands on the wheel due to all the so called drivers.

"I agree with this new law 100%, but I don't understand how using a handsfree device is so much safer than holding the phone to your ear. Either way your distracted. Using a cellphone should be banned while driving PERIOD!"

I guess we should also ban drivers from talking to their passengers as well. In fact, let's ban talking in cars altogether, it's a distraction. Hell, let's get rid of radios while we're at it since that can also be a distraction.

"Text messaging or using a handheld cellphone while driving are both identified forms of driver distraction that can lead to a crash."
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I agree with this new law 100%, but I don't understand how using a handsfree device is so much safer than holding the phone to your ear. Either way your distracted. Using a cellphone should be banned while driving PERIOD!

Both are great laws, but I doubt will be enforced on a regular basis. The police are busy enough as it is.