Portage area RCMP officers have been checking our drivers for distracted driving offences recently. Media relations officer Paul Manaigre says people need to get the message that distracted driving kills. 

"Basically, we're doing a campaign for the month of April, along with partnering up with Manitoba Public Insurance, for a blitz," says Manaigre. "Basically, it's to pick up people and perform an enforcement regarding distracted driving and the use of handheld cellular phones in vehicles."

He notes 34 people in April alone have already been charged with distracted driving, and we're only just past the halfway point of the month.  He notes the numbers aren't increasing but they're not decreasing either. 

Manaigre says officers do not physically look through someone's cell phone, seeing as that's a privacy issue. But officers do have certain techniques to allow them to visually observe someone holding or using the cell phone while driving.  Manaigre notes five points come off your driver safety rating, and that affects your vehicle insurance premiums, along with a $200 fine.

Legislation is currently in the works to also add a 72-hour suspension of your license in the not-too-distant future.