Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau’s call for tougher penalties against distracted driving heads in the right direction, toward having the same rules across the country on texting and talking while behind the wheel.

It makes sense that drivers in every part of Canada should face the same sanctions for this unsafe behaviour. Garneau’s move is welcome: he sent a letter to his provincial counterparts calling for stricter penalties that are “nationally consistent” in the way they are handed out and enforced, and “uniform across the country.”

It’s also sensible that Garneau is not calling right now for making distracted driving a criminal offence. That’s the only way the federal government could act alone to toughen penalties.

Working with the provinces and territories first is better. In any case, using a handheld device while driving is already a criminal offence if it becomes dangerous driving.

Sadly, this has been happening all too often. The Ontario Provincial Police reported last year that by mid-August, twice as many road deaths had involved distracted drivers than impaired ones.

Garneau’s call to make the rules the same everywhere in Canada could ultimately deter more motorists from picking up their phones before they end up facing a criminal charge or involved in a crash. While penalties for distracted driving have generally become stiffer since laws were first introduced in 2008, fines for texting and talking now vary widely across the country.

They range from a high of $1,200 in Prince Edward Island to a mere $80-$100 in Quebec, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. The penalty for a first offender in Ontario is $490 and three demerit points, and can rise as high as $1,000.

A national patchwork of penalties isn’t good enough anymore. As Garneau says, while “the risks associated with distracted driving are similar to those as driving under the influence, we were slow as a country to acknowledge and act on this problem.”

A decade ago, experts and legislators were still debating whether texting and talking while driving should be an offence at all. The wide range of penalties suggests that prevention and enforcement is still a work in progress. Garneau is right to ask for everyone to take the next, national steps.

The Insurance Bureau notes that if you talk on your handheld phone or text while driving, you’re four times more likely to be involved in a collision. If you’re texting and driving, you’re 23 times more likely to crash. While you’re fiddling with your phone, you may fail to see as much as half of what is going on along the road and on the sidewalks; studies show distracted drivers might be looking but not actually seeing what they need to see because they are so preoccupied.

Starting a dialogue is a constructive way to address our tentative response to this problem. There aren’t clear answers yet for every situation; for example, are all hands-free devices, some of which are legal to use while driving, safe in every circumstance?

Canadians should face the same rules wherever they drive in the country. Garneau deserves credit for sparking a conversation that takes into account the growing evidence that distracted driving is a much bigger problem than was once thought.