In Saskatchewan, the amount of money an individual is fined for has remained the same, $280.

Ten years ago, nobody could have predicted how back the epidemic of driving without the complete focus on the road would become. 

In 2018 alone there were over 6000 accidents that involved some level of distracted driving. More than 775 of those accidents resulted in injuries and 22 of them resulted in people dying.

Joe Hargrave, Saskatchewan's Minister responsible for the Crown of Estimates Corporation and SGI spoke on the subject and says that these actions taken by drivers need to stop.

"People are still driving distracted, they're still texting and talking on their cell phones. The number of tickets is almost at 1000 a month, and it's just not acceptable."

"We have to do something, we have to make an increase and get people's attention. We have to change the rules around distracted driving and keep changing them until people get the message and start listening and understanding that it's unacceptable and it has got to stop."

Hargrave also spoke specifically about what can happen when people drive distracted.

"We had Sandra LaRose at our throne speech on Wednesday. She lost her daughter a year ago, she lost her daughter a year ago, she speaks out very loudly against distracted driving, her daughter would be alive today if it wasn't for distracted driving and it's a shame."

"It's something where people get severe injuries or they get killed for something that is totally preventable. There is nothing that important that can't wait 10 minutes. Put your phone in the glove box, put it in the backseat, if you have to put it in the trunk, I don't care, just don't drive distracted."

It will still be a couple of weeks before an official fine increase and other new repercussions will be announced.