Distracted driving licence suspensions climb in Manitoba
MPI recorded more suspensions in 2024 than in any of the previous 5 years
Statistics released by Manitoba Public Insurance suggest Manitobans aren't getting the message about the dangers of distracted driving.
"There's a perception that distracted driving is 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 most fatalities on Manitoba roadways, so people are dying in larger numbers than impaired driving or speeding."
More Manitoba licences were suspended for distracted driving in 2024 than in any of the four previous years, MPI said, releasing numbers as part of its April Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign.
In 2023, there were 2,469 three-day suspensions and 98 seven-day suspensions for distracted driving.
In 2024, that number jumped to 2,817 three-day suspensions and 150 seven-day suspensions.
Luna Zuniga knows first-hand the consequences of drivers not paying attention behind the wheel.
She was hit by a car in February 2024, while working as an education assistant and crossing guard for an elementary school.
"I think that our phones, as they're evolving, the rules of the road have not kept up with that," Zuniga said.
After a year of physiotherapy, she's still struggling to move around comfortably.
Before the accident, she led a very active life, running six miles a day, walking her dog and working as an artist.
Getting hit by a car left her with a long list of injuries, including broken bones in her left leg and arm, broken ribs, torn tendons and a serious head injury.
"It only took me a few seconds to step onto the road, and my life changed forever. I don't know what my life will look like in the future. I don't know what I'll be able to do," Zuniga said.
The driver, a 73-year-old man, was charged with one count of driving carelessly, Winnipeg police said. The Manitoba Highway Traffic Act offence carries a penalty of a fine of up to $5,000 and licence suspension of up to one year.
Winnipeg police say there isn't a distracted driving ticket in the Manitoba Highway Traffic Act, so they can only issue a ticket for using a cell phone or an electronic hand-held device while driving. However, people can be charged for driving carelessly, which is a broader term that encompasses any negligent driving behaviour that endangers others.
Zuniga doesn't think a suspension is enough.
"I'm thinking about all those drivers who continue to drive. They're able to go to work, they're able to go hang out with friends, and again, I'm stuck looking out a window," Zuniga said.
Distracted driving caused 675 collisions in Manitoba in 2024, and more than 50 per cent of those happened in Winnipeg, MPI said. Of the 84 people killed in Manitoba due to motor vehicle collisions, 34 were due to distracted driving.
"I think what we're experiencing is each individual driver's like, 'Oh, it's just going to take me a second. I'll just be a second,' without realizing that maybe that second is the one that means either preventing a collision or causing one," said Tara Seel, media lead for Manitoba Public Insurance.
If distracted driving causes a collision, you could lose your licence permanently, Seel said, or drop down on the driver safety rating scale, which increases the costs of licensing.
There are three kinds of distractions, said Terris Baran, programming manager of Safety Services Manitoba, a not-for-profit training organization that offers a responsible driving course that teaches people about the dangers of distracted driving and how to change bad habits.
"You have a visual distraction — eyes off the road, manual distractions, which is your hand or hands off the wheel, and a cognitive distraction, which is your mind off of the road," Baran said.
"But the moment we engage in a cellphone text, whether it be reading or responding, you're taking all three away at the exact same time, leaving nothing left on the road, and seconds do count."
Some drivers think they can multitask behind the wheel, but driving requires 100 per cent of your attention, Baran said.
"You're wanting to grab that phone. Stop. We do know right from wrong, we do know what we should be doing and what we shouldn't be doing," he said.
"Rezone, refocus, and the more you can catch yourself doing that, it will become automatic over time."
The Winnipeg Police Service said it's ramping up enforcement on distracted drivers.
There are dedicated officers on street corners to catch drivers in the act, traffic division Sgt. Marc Leveque said.
Most of what they're seeing is people on their cellphones, he said.
"What we're looking for is blatant and obvious cellphone use — either holding it in their lap and looking down while they're stopped at a red light, which people think they can use their phones while they're stopped in traffic, and that's not the case," Leveque said.
There's no distracted driving ticket in the Highway Traffic Act, so police issue a ticket for using a cellphone or another electronic device while driving.
As of March 26, 638 people had already had their licences suspended this year because of distracted driving. Leveque said the uptick in suspensions is due to increased WPS enforcement.
