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Old habits die hard when it comes to distracted driving, says Sgt. Glenn Bangs with the Edmonton traffic unit.

“People are not getting the message. I think it’s just hard for people to put down their devices when they drive.”

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Since distracted driving legislation came into effect in 2011, Edmonton police have issued thousands of tickets. The numbers keep rising.

In 2012, Edmonton police issued 4,597 distracted driving tickets, jumping to 5,197 in 2013, 5,285 in 2014 and 5,928 tickets in 2015.

This year, officers have issued more than 1,000 distracted driving tickets. Distracted driving infractions tend to increase as the weather warms and the roads clear, making drivers more confident.

Bangs said officers are catching distracted drivers from all walks of life, but in Alberta the worst offenders are people 35 to 44 years old. Nearly 25 per cent of all distracted driving convictions in Alberta between April 2014 and April 2015 fell into that age range. Male drivers had nearly twice the number of distracted driving convictions in Alberta as females.

That said, Edmonton has one of the lowest rates of distracted driving convictions compared to total licensed drivers in Alberta.

Bangs likened the distracted driving issue to when seatbelt legislation was enacted in 1987.