Canadian teen at McDonald’s drive-thru is hit with $580 fine for using his phone to pull up the restaurant’s app

A teenager who visited a McDonald’s to pick up what he thought was a free meal was stunned when he was fined hundreds of dollars.

Mason Prima, 18, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada shared CTV News he was pulled over while driving through the drive-through of a local McDonald’s.

‘I hardly move. I grab my app and look in the rearview mirror and there’s a motorcycle cop behind me,” he told the outlet.

Initially, he didn’t think twice about using the app on his phone while standing at the window, because he needed to prove he’d earned enough reward points for a free meal.

When the officer approached him at the window, Prima said he showed him he was using the fast food chain’s app and was in the process of retrieving a code. But the officer was undeterred and issued a $580 ($426 USD) fine anyway.

Initially, he didn’t think twice about using the McDonald’s app while at the counter because he needed to prove he’d earned enough reward points for a free meal.

Prima said he thought the officer would understand and let him continue.

“I really thought he was just going to let me go because I just wanted to get a free meal, but no, it turns out to be a very expensive lunch,” he said.

He explained that McDonald’s drive-through employees ask to see the customer’s app to check reward points, so they had no choice but to use their phone during the interaction.

‘To be honest, I was quite shocked. “I’ve never had that before, I open my app every time I go to the drive-through and I’ve never had that problem,” he said.

But Saskatchewan police stood by their decision to issue Prima a summons.

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson said: “RCMP can confirm that on May 13, 2024, the subject was observed operating a vehicle on a public road while using a cell phone. ‘

“An RCMP officer from Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan conducted a traffic stop with the subject.

“The individual then drove into the McDonald’s parking lot, where the traffic violation was committed.”

A Canadian criminal lawyer, Brian Pfefferle, said cell phone use while driving is prohibited, but whether or not Prima’s cell phone use during the ride posed a threat to those around him is a question worth asking. to research.

‘I sympathize with the person who has been charged here. If he was literally in the drive-through area and not on a public road,” he said.

‘I would venture to guess that a large majority of people would use their mobile phones in such setups, and that should not be considered illegal, but it is obviously debatable.’

Prima, a novice driver, had already received a speeding ticket during his two and a half years on the road.

He said he also makes it a point to keep his cell phone out of sight so he can’t use it while driving.

‘I didn’t have my foot on the accelerator and the brake. It was just rolling. Barely moving,” Prima said.

Besides the $580 fine, Prima said he is most concerned about getting points on his driver’s license.

The teenager, steadfast in his belief that he is innocent, is now preparing to challenge the fine and plead his case in court on July 31.