A man driving on a busy Ottawa-area road was so preoccupied with his electronic devices this week that he failed to notice the police car driving next to him, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say.
Police stopped the driver on Highway 417 just before 5 p.m. on June 16, OPP East Region said in a post on X. Highway 417 is a freeway in eastern Ontario that runs through the heart of Ottawa and serves as a vital section of the Trans-Canada Highway.
“The driver was observed using both his laptop and cellphone during peak rush hour traffic,” the OPP wrote. “The driver was so distracted that he didn’t see the police car right beside him.”
The man now faces a $615 fine, the addition of three demerit points to his driving record, and a three-day driving suspension upon conviction, the OPP said.
Ontario’s demerit point system is used to encourage drivers to “improve their behaviour,” according to the provincial ministry of transport.
Individuals found guilty of driving-related violations have demerit points added to their records. These demerit points remain on a person’s record for a period of two years from the date of the violation. Accumulating an excessive number of demerit points may result in the suspension of an individual’s driver’s licence.
Smaller driving infractions result in two demerit points while the most serious are worth seven points.
Two-demerit point offences include actions like failing to wear a seatbelt, failing to signal, or driving too slowly while three-demerit point offences include holding or using a hand-held wireless communications or entertainment device, speeding by less than 29 kilometres per hour or failing to obey a stop sign.
Carless driving, exceeding the speed limit by 50 kilometres per hour or more, or failing to stop for a school bus are on the other end of the spectrum with a loss of six points, while failing to stay at the scene of an accident or failing to stop for an officer are worth seven demerits.
