A driver in B.C. was hit with a fine valued at hundreds of dollars after she was caught allegedly distracted while driving, but it wasn’t a phone she was distracted by.
According to information shared by the BC Highway Patrol (BCHP), a 52-year-old West Kelowna woman is facing a $368 fine after a patrol officer spotted her with a laptop in her lap while operating her Honda Pilot SUV.
“Yes, a laptop is an electronic device,” BCHP said in a release.
BCHP says the Kelowna woman was driving in Vernon when she was found allegedly using her laptop while driving.
A close-up picture of the incident makes it clear what officers saw.
#BCHighwayPatrol – Yes, a laptop is an electronic device. BC Highway Patrol issues more tickets for distracted driving https://t.co/BGLYm85dJX https://t.co/T3d3ybWHnv
— BC Highway Patrol (@BCHwyPatrol) November 13, 2026
BCHP called the traffic stop notable and said it occurred on Nov. 5, just after 4:30 p.m. The B.C. patrol officer spotted the driver with an open laptop on her lap.
“Driving is a complex task that requires your complete attention to deal with the unexpected,” BCHP Sergeant Michael McLaughlin said in a statement.
“Just because you’re comfortable behind the wheel, and you have something you ‘need’ to do, doesn’t mean the rules of the road don’t apply to you.”
The driver was hit with a $368 fine for using an electronic device while driving.
BCHP says that “prescribed electronic devices” include televisions, logging devices, and any handheld device that can process or compute data.
“It’s astonishing that we need to remind drivers that watching TV and using your laptop is illegal, or that holding a cell phone like a piece of pizza is not ‘hands-free,’ but here we are,” McLaughlin said.
The B.C. driver was hit with the fine during a 2.5-hour traffic blitz that resulted in 25 cellphone tickets and 10 seatbelt violations.