Saskatchewan RCMP says it’s safe to collect points at McDonald’s drive-thru

A Saskatoon man was ticketed for using his cell phone while driving, sparking an online debate about whether it’s okay to use your phone in a fast food drive-thru or on private property.

The RCMP acknowledged receiving “several inquiries” about the story of 18-year-old Mason Prima, who came forward to say he was given a cellphone ticket while in the drive-thru of a McDonald’s in Saskatoon. Prima claims the officer gave him a ticket because he pulled out his phone when he was within 10 feet of the order sign, but the RCMP says the traffic enforcement officer initiated a traffic stop after seeing Prima using his cellphone “in a public right of way” and gave him the ticket after he pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot.

Is it safe to use your phone to earn points at the drive-thru?

The RCMP officer in charge of traffic enforcement in Saskatchewan says yes, as long as you are not engaging in stunt driving or careless driving.

Superintendent Grant St. Germaine is the chief of traffic enforcement for the Saskatchewan RCMP. (Chad Hills/CTV News)

“We do not write cell phone tickets in parking lots,” said Supt. Grant St. Germaine.

“There are only a few things we would do. So if you have a parking lot and someone is doing donuts in the parking lot, and there’s a chance they’re going to kill themselves or someone else, we’re going to step in. Otherwise, we don’t issue tickets in parking lots. We don’t enforce in parking lots.”

An RCMP spokesperson also told CTV News that their traffic officers, who work with local police to enforce traffic laws, do not target drive-thrus in any organized enforcement.

Mason Prima told CTV News about the moment he was pulled over while driving through the drive-thru at McDonald’s in Saskatoon. (Carla Shynkaruk/CTV News)

Prima continues to maintain that he wasn’t on his phone before he pulled into the parking lot, and that he didn’t have it in his hands until he got to the order board.

“I go to that McDonald’s almost every day for lunch. I know there are always cops there.”

He said he plans to challenge the fine in court on July 31.

-With files from Carla Shynkaruk