The Prince George RCMP will be on the lookout for people who aren’t looking at the road while driving.
March is Distracted Driving Awareness Month,
“We will definitely be partnering with Citizens on Patrol, CVSE and BC Highway Patrol, to make a point this month of targeting distracted drivers so that we can really hammer home, right ahead of summer time and our better weather, that we need to leave the phone alone,” said Prince George RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper.
The campaign is also being done with ICBC, who says 42% of drivers admit to using their phone while behind the wheel every ten trips.
The campaign is focused on cell phones, but ICBC Northern Road Safety Manager, Doug MacDonald says there’s other things that can be distracting as well.
“There’s so much happening in the vehicle nowadays, we’ve come a long way since we had cell phones that we the size of a brick,” MacDonald said.
“We’ve got cell phones that can have in our hands, we can be on our phones with our watches, all the electronics in the vehicle, there’s so many distractions, add on top of that having a large sandwich, or having coffee, how are you going to be able to drive when your hands are busy eating?”
MacDonald said distracted driving constitutes anything that takes your eyes off the road.
Cpl. Cooper says the fine for distracted driving is $368, plus four points on your licence.
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