Police set to ride the bus to catch texting motorists

Regina police officers will be hitching a ride on public transport in hopes of catching distracted drivers.

A Board of Police Commissioners report says police will be periodically riding Regina Transit buses to try and observe motorists using a cellphone while driving.

March is when the main campaign will run, but “Operation Bus Cop” is set to start rolling out Wednesday.

The operation will run from March 1-31, but a soft launch will start on Feb. 22 with a positive ticketing campaign to raise awareness of the initiative. Police will continue the initiative throughout the year.

Using a cellphone while driving has already been illegal in Saskatchewan for several years, but recent changes to the Traffic Safety act now include holding, viewing or manipulating a cellphone will driving.

The penalty is $280 for a first offence.

Second and subsequent offences within a one-year period result in a seven-day vehicle impoundment.

Distracted driving is the leading cause of traffic deaths in Saskatchewan.

In 2015, 36 people were killed and 802 injured in 5,700 collisions where distracted driving was deemed a factors.

Last year, in the York suburb of Toronto, which has a population comparable to Regina’s, the bus for distracted driving busts led to 107 tickets in four months.

That campaign — like Regina’s — was advertised. Passing drivers are more likely to know a police officer could be watching and, as a result, are less likely to use their cellphones.

In 2015, Regina police handed out 661 distracted driving tickets, or an average of 55 each month. Last year 625 distracted drivers got tickets, an average of 52 each month.

New legislation in Saskatchewan kicked in Jan. 1, raising the fine and making it illegal to hold a cellphone while behind the wheel.

Some were critical of the decision, arguing the new law failed to leave any defence for an accused who is not guilty.