Police detachments around B.C. are pulling out the stops to find and fine drivers who persist in handling their cellphones while behind the wheel.
After all, ICBC statistics show that “on average, 78 people die very year in crashes where distracted driving is a contributing factor.”
The tickets for such an offence – now adding up to $368 and four penalty points when caught the first time – are being handed out during a targeted campaign this month. And RCMP are finding new ways of catching offenders all over the province, from pulling up on bicycles beside occupied texters to pretending to be homeless and begging for change on a median at an intersection to riding busses so they can look down into cars of those trying to keep their phones low while they are in use.
Certainly, there will be those who will argue against such action. Some will suggest police should be going after the “real criminals” – the ones who have been conducting late-night break-ins in our neighbourhoods and robbing our convenience stores. Others will claim they are no more distracted making a call or sending a text than drivers who are simply sipping coffee or chatting with a passenger.
The former is a blatant case of whataboutery, the latter a matter already decided by our provincial leaders and courts. Regardless of both, drivers must abide by the laws of the land, or face the consequences.
We say any initiative to keep people paying attention to the road instead of their phone is a good one, regardless of the sneakiness of the method used.
- Black Press