West Grey police have charged a man for watching YouTube while driving.
Police say early this morning, (Dec 23rd) officers were conducting a RIDE program at the intersection of Durham Road East and Garafraxa Street North in Durham.
Police say a 60 year old Kitchener man drove through the RIDE program while watching a YouTube video on his cell phone.
The driver was pulled over and was issued an offence notice for Drive – Display Screen Visible to Driver contrary to section 78(1) of the Highway Traffic Act.
Police say distracted driving is not just about cell phones. GPS units, Smartwatches, Tablets and Laptops all lead to driver inattention.
The maximum fine for distracted driving is $1000 on a first offence and comes with a three-day licence suspension upon conviction of a first offence.
Drivers who continue to contravene this section of the law face a seven day licence suspension upon conviction of a second offence and repeat offenders with more than two distracted driving charges face 30-day suspensions of their driver's licence.
Drivers with a class G1, G2, M1 or M2 licence, who are convicted of distracted driving or driving with a hand held device receive the same fine as A to G drivers as well as a 30-day licence suspension for a first conviction, a 90-day licence suspension for a second conviction and cancellation of your licence and removal from the Graduated Licensing System for a third conviction.