Vancouver Police issued almost 2,000 distracted driving tickets last month

Oct 3 2017, 10:25 pm

It was a campaign to “educate motorists and discourage the use of mobile devices while driving,” and judging  by the results,  a campaign that was much-needed.

During the month of September, Vancouver Police took part in the province-wide distracted driving campaign.

And in total, officers issued 1,969 distracted driving tickets.

Some of those tickets go far beyond just simple cell-phone use, though.

In one case, a man tried to justify his actions after he was caught “watching his financial video from his website.” In another case, a woman thought it was okay to have her cell phone on her lap while she ate her lunch with both hands.

The high number of tickets written during the campaign proves distracted driving is still a problem on Vancouver roads, said the VPD.

“If you know someone who just won’t give up their phone while driving, maybe you can have some influence,” said VPD Sgt. Jason Robillard. “We have at least 1,969 reasons to remind our loved ones to pull over or leave the phone alone while driving.”

Distracted driving has shown to be one of the leading contributing factors of traffic fatalities in BC – even surpassing impaired driving.

“The ticket amount for using an electronic device while driving in BC is $368,” added Robillard. “But that cost is nothing compared to the cost of losing a loved one. It’s time to take a break from your phone.”

Eric ZimmerEric Zimmer

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