It seems that many B.C. drivers still aren’t getting the message when it comes to not using their phones while driving, and there is a long way to go when it comes to using seat belts and car seats properly.
That’s what BC Highway Patrol (BCHP) found during their Distracted Drivers and Occupant Restraint campaign in March. Supt. Mike Coyle of BCHP says that officers across B.C. wrote nearly 2,800 tickets for distracted driving in March.
“We also wrote 873 tickets for people who were not wearing seat belts, including 87 tickets to parents whose children were not properly secured,” he added.
In some instances, BCHP officers got creative when it came to detecting drivers who weren’t paying attention. In Nelson, for example, police used the second floor of a parking garage to watch for distracted drivers, with an officer in the garage alerting colleagues on the ground.
Some drivers were caught trying to do the right thing when it was too late. In Invermere, a BC Highway Patrol body-worn camera recorded a passenger trying to put on her seat belt after being stopped. And some drivers were found to be committing more than one offence, such as the person who was driving while on her cellphone and was also found to be under the influence of alcohol. She received a driving suspension.
Some of the campaign numbers include:
• Central/Okanagan Region: 1,036 tickets for using an electronic device while driving and 300 seat belt infractions;
• Kootenay Region: 149 tickets for using an electronic device while driving and 111 seat belt infractions;
• Northern Region: 153 tickets for using an electronic device while driving and 61 seat belt infractions;
• South Coast/Lower Mainland Region: 603 tickets for using an electronic device and 145 seat belt/occupant restraint tickets, including 37 for children who were improperly secured; and
• Vancouver Island Region: 276 tickets for using an electronic device while driving and 61 seat belt infractions.
“Many of these distracted driving tickets were written for people using the highway system, not merely those stopped at intersections,” says Coyle. “These numbers prove two things: one, we need to do better. Two, everyone in B.C. is paying the consequences of collisions that come from high-risk driving behaviours.”
Tickets for not wearing a seat belt range from $109 (for a child who is improperly restrained) to $167 for an adult who fails to wear a seat belt. A ticket for using an electronic device while driving carries a fine of $368 and four driver penalty points. If you have four or more points on your driving record at the end of a 12-month period, you will pay a driver penalty point premium, which ranges from $214 for four points to $29,376 for 50 or more points.
If you get more than one distracted driving ticket in a three-year period, you will also get a driver risk premium. Two tickets for distracted driving within a three-year period incurs a driver risk premium of $453, and the amount increases for every additional ticket. It means that a driver who receives one ticket for distracted driving in a three-year period pays $582; two tickets in the same period will cost you $1,825.
