Manitoba to crack down on distracted driving with roadside licence suspensions
WINNIPEG — Manitoba has become the latest province to pursue tougher penalties, including immediate licence suspensions, for people who use a hand-held cellphone or other electronic device while driving.
Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler started to introduce a bill Friday that would allow police to suspend a driver’s licence for three days for a first offence and for seven days for a subsequent infraction.
“We have a problem and we want to be very clear that as a government, we take distracted driving as serious as drinking and driving,” Schuler said.
The licence suspensions would be on top of existing fines of $204 and five demerit points.