Police use new strategy
Mounties are trading in their Stetsons for hard hats and other elements of disguise in an attempt to keep the region’s roads safe — and they’re not being very secretive about it.
In a bid to spot distracted drivers using electronic devices while behind the wheel, members of the RCMP South Okanagan Traffic Services have dressed up like construction workers and even used transit buses as a platform from which to catch people in the act.
“We could just do enforcement, but we would be missing an opportunity to prevent these offences from happening in the first place,” SOTS commander Sgt. Ryan McLeod said in a press release.
“To that end, we are raising awareness and actually advertising our tactics in the hopes that drivers with an illegal electronic-device habit will change their behaviour.”
McLeod said the unit was in the midst of a distracted-driving blitz across the region in March that was halted due to COVID-19, but not before issuing more than 200 tickets for distracted driving or not wearing a seatbelt.
“Penalties aside, we are asking drivers to ask themselves one question: ‘Is that text message or phone call worth my life or the life of someone else?’” said McLeod.
“Every driver has choices to make when it comes to driving. Please make it a habit to put your phone in a place where you won't be tempted to use it, use the do-not-disturb feature, or ask a passenger to take a call for you. It’s never too late to make the right decision.”
On average, distracted driving is responsible for about a quarter of all fatal crashes resulting in 76 deaths on B.C. roads each year, according to the Insurance Corporation of B.C.
A ticket for distracted driving carries with it a $368 fine and four penalty points, which could lift the total penalty for a first infraction to $620.