The number of people caught texting and driving last year was the lowest it has been since the province started fining drivers in 2008.
The number went down by 23 per cent, from 67,000 people in 2014 to 55,000 in 2015.
Quebec car insurance board the SAAQ said the dip could be due to stiffer punishments: the fine is now over $100 and went from three to four demerit points last year.
“It may have had an effect but it's hard to know after only one year,” said SAAQ spokesperson Gino Desrosiers.
“Well it's fantastic because we do know that texting and driving is definitely a distraction,” said Montreal police spokesperson Andre Durocher.
It’s a distraction Desrosiers warns is still a problem.
“Distracted driving, which includes texting, is a factor in one out of every three fatal accidents,” he said.
“I know the numbers are there to prove that there are fewer tickets being given, however people are still too hooked up on their phones, you know what, even pedestrians, cyclists there seems to be this passion or this obsession,” added Durocher.
Many critics said as far as they can tell, the only change is police officers ignoring people using their phones.
One truck driver contacted CTV Montreal to say that on a recent drive on the Metropolitan he counted 76 drivers texting, including one doing so beside a Sureté du Quebec officer.
Awareness campaigns are hopefully helping make more people aware of the potential consequences, said Durocher.
“We'll start seeing people say, ‘Listen, if you're going to text, please don't drive because I'm the passenger and you're putting my safety at risk,’” he said.
