Saskatoon

New year brings clarification to ban on cellphone use while driving

Changes that come into play on New Year's Day tightens the wording on the ban of cellphone use while driving.

Changes to Traffic Safety Act tighten wording on ban

Changes that come into play on New Year's Day tightens the wording on the ban of cellphone use while driving.

New rules going into effect on New Year's Day close a loophole on cellphone use while driving in Saskatchewan.

Amendments to the Traffic Safety Act came into play on Jan. 1, 2017 which clarify the wording of the ban.

The changes clarify that the ban includes "holding, viewing or manipulating" cellphones as well as "using" them.

Experienced drivers, however, can use hands-free devices if the drivers use one-touch or voice command functions. The device must be mounted to the dash or clipped to the visor to be considered to be hands-free.

New drivers — anyone in the graduated licensing program — cannot use hand-held or hands-free devices at any point while driving.