Driver watching TV show stopped for distracted driving on Ottawa highway

Ontario Provincial Police say officers issued 16 tickets for distracted driving on Highway 417 in Ottawa on Thursday, including “one driver who was watching a TV show.” (OPP ER/X)

A driver watching a TV show on the morning commute was one of more than a dozen drivers stopped for distracted driving on Highway 417 in Ottawa.

Ontario Provincial Police conducted a distracted driving enforcement blitz on the highway Thursday morning.

The OPP says 16 drivers were charged with distracted driving, “including one driver who was watching a TV show!”

The distracted driving charge includes a $615 fine, three demerit points and a three-day driving suspension upon conviction.

Last month, an OPP officer stopped a ride-share driver after noticing they were watching a video on their cellphone while transporting a passenger on Highway 417.

Police said the ride-share driver told the officer he wasn’t watching the video, just listening to it. It’s still an offence under the Highway Traffic Act.

Under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, distracted driving includes viewing “display screens unrelated to driving, such as watching a video.”

“You are allowed to use hands-free wireless communications devices with an earpiece, lapel button or Bluetooth,” the Ontario government’s website says. “You can view GPS display screens as long as they are built into your vehicle’s dashboard or securely mounted on the dashboard.”

The Ottawa Detachment of the OPP laid 198 distracted driving charges in 2024, up from 118 the year before.