A year into it and Sgt. Bob Verbree, regional commander of the Cariboo Chilcotin Traffic Services, isn’t hopeful that people are getting the message about the dangers of distracted driving.
For the first six months, says Verbree, police gave out warnings to people; after that they started ticketing.
But between the two periods there was little decline in the numbers.
“I think people, for the most part, are just not getting it,” he says.
To help change this, during February, the Cariboo Regional Traffic Services Unit in Williams Lake, 100 Mile House and Quesnel and other police jurisdictions across B.C. will participate in the province-wide distracted driving campaign.
The campaign coincides with the one-year anniversary of the provincial legislation that bans the use of hand-held communication devices while behind the wheel and other activities that potentially distract drivers.
“In 2010, distracted driving was a contributing factor in 32 per cent, or almost one third of all collisions and fatalities in RCMP jurisdictions,” says superintendent Mike Diack, head of traffic services for the RCMP in B.C. In that same period, police issued 32,000 distracted driving violation tickets.
No statistics were available for the Cariboo Chilcotin region at press time.
Verbree is at a loss when asked why people behave in contravention of the law.
“Particularly when laws are enacted for their safety. That’s the age-old question,” he says, adding, “The real issue is personal safety.”
Throughout the month, additional RCMP officers will be on the look out for anyone talking on their cellphones while driving or any other traffic infraction.
The fine for driving while distracted is $167 plus three points against an individual’s licence.
According to the RCMP, surveys show that 98 per cent of drivers are aware of the new law.