Alberta's transportation minister is defending the new distracted driver legislation, insisting that it will not lead to a big brother crackdown.

But Luke Ouellette says it doesn't mean he wants to see police hiding behind billboards to catch drivers with a cell phone in their hands.

Ouellette says Bill 16 should only be used to make the roads safer, though he admits it gives police a lot of latitude to decide what's distracting.

The bill doesn't just cover cell phone use, it also targets bans grooming, reading, and gets tough on pet whose pets are misbehaving on the road.

The law is expected to go into effect within six months.

Offenders will be hit with a $172 fine with no demerit points.

Recent studies reveal that Albertans are the worst offenders in the country when it comes to driving while distracted.

Research shows that taking your eyes of the road for five seconds while driving at 90 kilometres an hour is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field blind.

Police also say you are twice as likely to have a collision while distracted, and that 80 per cent of all collisions involve some sort of distracted driving.

The new law leaves New Brunswick as the only province without some kind of distracted driving legislation.