Lower Mainland police renew call for drivers to leave phones alone
Posted September 1, 2020 12:19 pm.
Last Updated September 1, 2020 1:38 pm.
SURREY (NEWS 1130) — The start of a new month means police are launching their annual fall distracted driving campaign.
Officers across the region will be out in full force, looking for people breaking the law that was introduced several years ago.
Surrey RCMP Cpl. Joanie Sidhu says one in four deaths on B.C. roads are linked to the bad habit.
“Don’t do it, because there’s no message or conversation that is so important that you need to endanger yourself or other people that are on the road,” she says.
#DYK You may not use/hold electronic device while stopped in traffic? Use (text/email/talk/hold) electronic device while driving = $368 + 4 points #TicketTuesday pic.twitter.com/2GJX6JNR6l
— BC RCMP Traffic (@BCRCMPTraffic) September 1, 2020
B.C. has one of the toughest distracted driving penalties in the country. A first time offender will be ticketed $368 and four penalty points to their licence.
Despite increased fines and penalties, distracted driving is still a problem. Every year, 76 people on average are killed by distracted driving in the province, with about 26 being in the Lower Mainland.
“The important thing that we want everyone to be aware of when it comes to distracted driving is that it’s dangerous, and it poses a risk to the drivers themselves, as well as the other drivers on the road,” Sidhu says.
Lindsay Matthews, ICBC’s vice-president public affairs and driver licensing, says safer roads start with drivers leaving their phones alone.
“Using electronic devices, like smartphones, is one of the most common and riskiest forms of distracted driving. Even short glances away from the road increases your risk of crashing,” she says in a release.
B.C.’s distracted driving law came into effect 10 years ago. Since then, more than 430,000 infractions have been issued to drivers using an electronic device while driving. Not everyone received the message the first time, though, since roughly 44,000 drivers have been fined twice for distracted driving between January 2010 and March 2020.
