Quebec Police Issued Thousands Of Tickets To Distracted Drivers Last Month

The drivers were using cell phones or other devices.
Reporter

Police forces across the province cracked down on distracted drivers in the last month, issuing thousands of tickets to Quebec drivers using electronic devices at the wheel.  

The province-wide campaign, called "L’opération nationale concertée (ONC) Distraction 2020," was a collaboration between provincial police forces and the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ). The crackdown took place between September 19 and September 24.

A spokesperson from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) told MTL Blog that police set-up over 3,000 checkpoints across the province.

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3,100 TICKETS ISSUED TO DISTRACTED DRIVERS ACROSS QUEBEC

Throughout the week of the operation, police gave out 3,100 tickets of varying infractions to distracted drivers, said the SQ spokesperson.

The SPVM told MTL Blog they could not confirm how many tickets were issued in the greater Montreal area.

The joint operation was accompanied by a media campaign warning distracted drivers of the dangers of using their phones at the wheel and the potential infractions that could be issued as a result.

Societé d'Assurance d'Automobile du Québec

A motorist can be fined $300 to $600 for a first offence of using an electronic device at the wheel. A repeat offence within a two-year period results in a guaranteed $600 fine.

  • Lea Sabbah
  • Lea Sabbah was a Staff Writer for MTL Blog. Previously, Lea was a radio host on CJLO 1690 AM and her work has been published by Global News, the Toronto Star, Le Devoir and the National Observer. In 2019, she was part of the investigative team that uncovered lead in Montreal's drinking water — a story which won Quebec's Grand Prix Judith-Jasmin. She's a graduate of the journalism program at Concordia University.

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