But as the full force of the law came into effect on Feb. 1, it appears that compliance in many areas was fairly high. Toronto Police reported only giving out about a dozen or so tickets on Monday, and Caledon OPP Constable Jonathan Beckett was not aware of any being handed out in Caledon on the first day. But that’s not to say they aren’t out there.

“There is still a percentage of the population who don’t seem to take it seriously and that’s unfortunate because it’s the law and we have to abide by the law,” said Beckett, who has noticed an increase in people pulling to the side of the road to take or make phone calls. “It’s been in the works for some time. There’s been enough education during the grace period that everybody should be avoiding the cell phone and utilizing hands-free devices that are widely available.”

The law bans the use of hand-held electronic devices like cellphones, Blackberrys and iPods. Cellphones can still be used with hands free devices that include voice-activated dialing. GPS systems can still be used, but adjustments to coordinates or inputting of information while driving is prohibited, and the system must be mounted on the dash or another easily accessible location and preferably used with voice technology. Portable audio players like iPods can be plugged into a vehicle’s sound system, but playlists should be chosen before driving, as drivers are no longer permitted to pick up the device to scroll through and select songs.

The new law also prohibits the viewing of display screens unrelated to driving, such as laptops or DVD players. Displays used for collision avoidance systems or a “display screen of an instrument, gauge or system that provides information to the driver about the status of systems in the motor vehicle” are exempt.

And restrictions don’t apply to everyone; police, fire department and emergency medical services personnel are permitted to use hand-held wireless devices and view display screens in the “normal performance of their duties”. Some commercial drivers are also exempted from the new law - for the time being, at least.

Some drivers in transport industries like school buses, taxis and couriers as well as public service workers rely on certain types of wireless devices and display screens to perform day-to-day tasks. In order to help these businesses “stay competitive” they will be granted a three year reprieve in which to phase-out the use of two-way radios and allow for hands-free technology to be developed.

But for the rest of us, there’s no excuse. “People have certainly had enough time to prepare for this... at the end of the day this legislation is going to hopefully increase safety on our roads,” said Beckett.