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(UPDATE) Distracted Driving Campaign – June 9 to June 12, 2025 

Written by Shawna Fowler | June 6, 2025 at 11:18:am

Update: June 13, 2025, at 9:25 a.m. 

During our Distracted Driving Campaign, members of the Saint John Police issued a total of 29 traffic violations under the New Brunswick Motor Vehicle Act. 

The Saint John Police will continue to conduct regular, targeted traffic enforcement throughout the city with the goal of improving safety for all road users and educating motorists about traffic laws to reduce serious injury and fatal collisions. 

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The Saint John Police will be conducting a Distracted Driving Campaign between June 9 and June 12, 2025. The campaign will focus on the enforcement of distracted driving legislation and on educating the public about the dangers associated with distracted driving.  

What is distracted driving? 

“Distracted driving happens when a driver’s attention is taken away from the driving task because they are focused on something else. This could be, for example: 

  • texting; 

  • talking on the phone or to passengers;

  • eating or drinking; 

  • using the entertainment or navigation system. 

The risk of a collision goes up when a driver’s eyes are taken off the road even for a second. This is because distraction impairs performance and reduces a driver’s awareness. It makes drivers slower to notice and less able to safely respond to critical events on the road. Or they may miss them entirely.” (Transport Canada, 2024) 

What is illegal and what is not under the law? 

  • You cannot make or take telephone calls unless it is hands-free. Having a cellular device in your hand while driving is an offence. 

  • You cannot text while driving. 

  • You may look at a GPS screen, but you cannot program or handle it. 

  • If a display screen is built into your vehicle, it is permitted.  Otherwise, you cannot have it in your view. 

What is the penalty? 

Drivers convicted of a distracted driving offence will be fined the amount of $340.50 and lose five demerit points from their licence. 

What are the impacts? 

According to data from Transport Canada’s National Collision Database, distracted driving contributed to an estimated 22.5% of fatal collisions and 25.5% of serious injury collisions in 2021. These statistics are part of an upward trend of distracted driving-related collisions, up from 21.3% of fatal collisions and 23.8% of serious injury collisions a decade earlier (2011). 

For more news, visit Saint John Police Force | City of Saint John, New Brunswick