Last month, officers from the across the province, including in North Vancouver, took part in a month long distracted driving enforcement.
During the month of March, North Vancouver RCMP officers issued 146 tickets and six warnings for Use of Electronic Device while driving. Majority of the enforcement was conducted at high crash intersections across North Vancouver. In one instance, a single officer on a Police Motorcycle observed 3 different drivers for distracted driving at once and all three were issued tickets.
“We still hear a lot of excuses from drivers about why they are using their phones. We most commonly see drivers checking their device when stopped at a red light. In those few seconds of distraction, a pedestrian could walk in front of your car, or another hazard could appear on the road that you may not be aware of,” said Sgt. Denis Beaulieu of the North Vancouver RCMP Traffic Services.
The best practice is to keep your phone safely stored away for the duration of your journey to avoid the temptation of using it. ICBC data indicates that drivers are 3.6 times more likely to crash if they are using a hand-held phone.
Distracted driving is responsible for more than 25% of all car crash fatalities and is the second leading cause of fatal collisions in BC. Every year, an average of 77 people die in fatal motor vehicle collisions in BC because the driver was distracted or not paying attention.
Distracted driving is more than just using an electronic device but also includes other distractions such as personal grooming, eating/drinking, reading, unsecured pets, other passengers and not knowing your route. Doing any of these things while driving may cause your trip to end in tragedy.
In many cases during these latest enforcement initiatives, drivers were so distracted by using their phone that they only noticed a police officer standing beside their vehicle after the officer knocked on their window to capture their attention.
That tickets were commonly issued for drivers checking their device when stopped at a red light – a situation that seems very benign – gives the appearance of a “tax grab” and little to do with public safety. I look forward to fully autonomous driving vehicles.
Using a handheld device, even at a red light, is not benign. Studies show that drivers can take up to 30 seconds to regain full alertness after fiddling with their phone or making a command from behind the wheel. (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and University of Utah). Also, it’s not a “tax grab” – it’s a fine for illegal behaviour.
“A single officer on a Police Motorcycle observed 3 different drivers for distracted driving at once and all three were issued tickets”
And yet, “During the month of March, North Vancouver RCMP officers issued 146 tickets and six warnings”.
I would have expected EVERY officer to be able to issue 146 tickets a week based on what I am seeing; 4 day-week, 12 hour shift== 3 tickets an hour. And that’s actual violations- vehicle in motion, driver using handheld device, not the looking that the device while stopped at a red light scenario. Enforce the (properly written) law properly and it’s not a money grab.
btw, if looking at a device while at a red light, along with not noticing the pedestrian, they probably won’t notice the light turned green and will therefore not put the vehicle in motion. No motion, no impact. Mind you, it’s perfectly OK for a driver to look at that 13″ screen, as long as it’s part of the vehicle ? Seriously ?
And no, fully autonomous vehicles will not be safe; they will still crash into things, no matter what the world’s richest man has been promising for years.