Distracted Driving in Ontario: Phones, Vaping and Other Rules
Most drivers know that texting behind the wheel is illegal. Rather fewer know that simply holding a phone is, that the rules still apply while stopped at a red light, or that a G2 driver caught once loses their licence for a month.
Here is what Ontario’s distracted driving law actually covers, what it does not, and where a separate law takes over.
What Counts as Distracted Driving in Ontario?
The law covers hand-held communication and entertainment devices, and certain display screens. In practice, these are the things that will get you charged:
- Using a hand-held phone or device to text or dial
- Using a hand-held electronic entertainment device such as a tablet or portable gaming console
- Having a display screen visible to you that is unrelated to driving
- Programming a GPS on a phone or hand-held device, except by voice command
- Simply holding a phone or other device
The law applies when you are stopped in traffic or waiting at a red light. Being stationary is not an exemption. This is the single most common misunderstanding.
What Is Still Allowed
The law targets holding and interacting, not using a phone at all.
| Allowed | Detail |
| Hands-free devices | With an earpiece, lapel button or Bluetooth |
| A securely mounted device | You may touch a button to make, answer or end a call |
| Calling 911 | You may touch a device to call ambulance, police or fire. Ontario advises pulling off the road to a safe area to make the call |
| Using your phone after parking | Pull over and park safely first |
The practical line: mount it, or leave it alone. Anything that involves the phone being in your hand is a risk, regardless of what you are doing with it.
Penalties for Fully Licensed Drivers
Ontario escalates the penalty with each conviction.
| Conviction | Fine | Demerit points | Suspension |
| First | $615 settled out of court, up to $1,000 if summoned or you lose in court | 3 | 3 days |
| Second | $615 settled out of court, up to $2,000 | 6 | 7 days |
| Third and later | $615 settled out of court, up to $3,000 | 6 | 30 days |
The $615 settlement figure includes a victim surcharge and court fee. You also pay a licence reinstatement fee each time your licence is suspended.
Penalties for G1 and G2 Drivers Are Completely Different
This is the part that catches people out, and it is far more serious than the full-licence penalties.
Novice drivers receive no demerit points for distracted driving. They are suspended instead — starting at 30 days for a first conviction.
| Conviction | Novice driver (G1, G2, M1, M2) |
| First | 30-day suspension |
| Second | 90-day suspension |
| Third | Licence cancelled and removed from the Graduated Licensing System |
The fines are the same as for fully licensed drivers. The consequences are not.
Read that third row again. A third conviction means your licence is cancelled and you are removed from the Graduated Licensing System to drive again you must redo the entire GLS programme from the beginning. Every month you have already served counts for nothing.
If you are unsure whether novice status still applies to you, our guide to what novice driver means in Ontario explains which licences count and what else changes.
Is Vaping While Driving Illegal in Ontario?
This is where people get confused, so it is worth being precise.
Vaping is not part of Ontario’s distracted driving law. The province’s distracted driving rules cover hand-held devices and display screens. Eating, drinking and smoking are explicitly not covered by that law, and vaping is not listed either.
But that is not the same as “vaping while driving is fine”, because a separate law applies.
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017
- Vaping and smoking tobacco or cannabis are prohibited inside a motor vehicle when anyone under 16 is present. This applies whether or not the vapour contains nicotine.
- Cannabis is banned at all times in a vehicle being driven by, or under the care and control of, a person — not only when a young passenger is present.
- Work vehicles are treated as workplaces, where smoking and vaping are prohibited.
Fines under the Act start at $305 on conviction, and the maximum for smoking or vaping in a prohibited place is $1,000 for a first offence and $5,000 for later offences.
The short answer: vaping alone in your own car with no passenger under 16 is not a distracted driving offence. Vaping with a passenger under 16 in the car is an offence under a different law. And if vaping causes you to drive badly, careless driving still applies — see below.
What About Eating, Drinking and Smoking?
Ontario is clear that these are not part of the distracted driving law. There is no specific offence for eating a sandwich at the wheel.
You can still be charged with careless or dangerous driving for them. The absence of a specific distracted driving offence is not permission — it just means a different charge applies.
Careless driving is the broader offence, and it does not depend on what distracted you. If your driving falls below the standard expected, the cause is irrelevant to the charge.
So the honest framing is: the distracted driving law is a narrow, specific rule about devices. Driving badly for any other reason is covered elsewhere, and usually more seriously.
Why Novice Drivers Are Treated So Much More Harshly
The pattern across Ontario’s rules is consistent. New drivers face zero blood alcohol, tighter demerit thresholds, and here, suspensions instead of points.
The reasoning is the same each time: less experience means less spare attention. A driver who still has to think about mirror checks and lane position has nothing left over for a screen. We cover the attention side of this in what defensive driving actually means
For how all the novice rules fit together, see Ontario’s graduated licensing system explained
Practical Habits That Keep You Out of Trouble
- Set everything before you move. Destination, playlist, climate. Programming a GPS by hand while driving is itself an offence.
- Mount the phone, or put it out of reach. The glovebox or a bag on the back seat removes the temptation entirely.
- Use Do Not Disturb While Driving. Most phones will auto-reply so nobody is waiting on you.
- If you must take a call, pull over and park properly — off the road, not in a live lane.
- Decide in advance that nothing is urgent enough. The decision is much harder to make once the phone has already buzzed.
Conclusion
Phone habits form early, and they are much easier to build correctly than to break later particularly when a single conviction can cost a G2 driver a month off the road. Go Drive Driving School is MTO approved and teaches new drivers across Barrie, Innisfil, Bradford, Midhurst, Springwater, Orillia, Alliston, Cookstown and Angus. See our programs and fees or contact us at 705-717-0406.
FAQs
Can you hold your phone at a red light in Ontario?
No. Simply holding a phone or device is against the law, and the law applies when you are stopped in traffic or at a red light.
What happens if a G2 driver gets caught on their phone?
A 30-day licence suspension on a first conviction, plus the fine. No demerit points are assigned — the suspension replaces them.
Can a novice driver lose their licence permanently for distracted driving?
On a third conviction the licence is cancelled and the driver is removed from the Graduated Licensing System, meaning the whole programme must be completed again.
Is vaping while driving illegal in Ontario?
It is not a distracted driving offence. It is prohibited under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act if anyone under 16 is in the vehicle, and careless driving could still apply if it affects your driving.
Is cannabis allowed in a vehicle?
Smoking or vaping cannabis is banned at all times in a vehicle being driven by or under the care and control of a person.
Can you eat while driving in Ontario?
There is no specific distracted driving offence for eating, but you can be charged with careless or dangerous driving if it affects how you drive.
Can I use a GPS while driving?
A securely mounted device is permitted. Programming a GPS on a hand-held device while driving is not, unless you do it by voice command.
Does calling 911 count as distracted driving?
No. You may touch a device to call ambulance, police or fire services. Ontario advises pulling off the road to a safe area to make the call.
