Police say too many Toronto drivers are watching TV at the wheel

Since 2009, distracted driving has been illegal in Canada, but that hasn’t stopped some Toronto drivers from checking their phones – and even watching television – while at the wheel.

“It’s too bad this needs to be said,” the Toronto Police Services Traffic Unit said in a tweet published Wednesday. “More and more, our team is seeing a concerning trend of drivers watching TV when driving.”

“You can’t watch TV and drive, even if the phone is mounted to the dash,” the tweet read.

On Jan. 18, a Toronto driver was stopped by police near Front Street and Spadina Avenue downtown and charged for driving while displaying a screen. The driver was fined $615.00.

“There are still drivers out there that feel the need to play their videos in their cars while they're driving and that’s just craziness,” TPS’ Sgt. Melissa Kulik told CTV News Toronto Thursday.

“Every second that your eyes are off the road and the task at hand is that extra second that could lead to [..] potentially a fatal collision,” she added.

Handout by TPS' Traffic Services. (TrafficServices/Twitter)

In 2022, Toronto police issued approximately 8,700 tickets for distracted driving. Three weeks into 2023, 450 have been issued.

According to Ontario Provincial Police, distracted driving was the cause of 66 deaths on the road across the province last year.

A first offence of distracted driving will see drivers fined $615.00 to $1,000, plus three license demerit points and a three-day suspension. These penalties increase for repeat offenders.

With files from CTV News Toronto's Mike Walker