Police on a mission to rid roads of distracted drivers
By Nelson Daily Staff
Drives, do everyone a favour and put the cell phone down.
Distracted driving is the second leading cause of car crash fatalities in B.C. with an average of 88 people killed each year. That’s why police across the province are cracking down on distracted drivers in March.
The campaign also includes television and radio advertising as well as social media.
“Distracted driving is a significant concern for B.C. road safety – and one to be considered as seriously as impaired driving or excessive speeding,” said Suzanne Anton, Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
“Last year, government added three penalty points to the $167 fine for talking on an electronic device, and as we monitor the impact of this action, may consider further sanctions to combat this dangerous driving behaviour.
“I encourage British Columbians to talk with family, friends and co-workers about the dangers of distracted driving, and the laws in place to keep everyone safe on our roads.”
In the West Kootenay, Integrated Road Safety Unit (IRSU) and West Kootenay Traffic Services (WKTS) will be monitoring all highways and roads in the region to catch cell phone users.
ICBC road safety coordinators will be visiting community events with a driving simulator that the public can try.
Customers can pick up a decal to display on their vehicle at ICBC driver licensing offices and participating Autoplan broker offices to take a stand against distracted driving and encourage others on the road to do the same.
“Distracted driving is a growing concern and causes most rear-end crashes in B.C. that result in injuries,” said Lindsay Matthews, ICBC’s director responsible for road safety.
“Some drivers still aren’t getting the message – every call, text or tweet can wait. Safer roads and fewer crashes will also help reduce claims costs and insurance rates.”
Distraction: where one or more of the vehicles involved had contributing factors including use of communication/video equipment, driver inattentive and driver internal/external distraction.
ICBC average every year in the Southern Interior, 32 people are killed in distracted driving-related crashes.
