How many times have you seen someone driving while using a cell phone ?
Likely quite often, and so have the police.
RCMP officers like Constable Chad Morrison have seen people with a phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other, or actually trying to steer with their elbows.
He says some people try to be sneaky, looking down subtly at their phone, but police have become creative in catching them.
“We’ve had people dressing in plain clothes standing by the side of the road. We’ve renting vehicles that can get us a little higher up so we can seen into people’s vehicles so we can see what they’re doing.”
He says motorcycle officers, who were recently in this area, have been very effective in enforcing seatbelt and distracted driving laws.
Morrison says some people don’t realize the dangers.
He says things can go very bad very quickly.
“You look down for one or two seconds, you don’t know if someone is going to change lanes, if there’s an oncoming vehicle, if someone walks in front of you or an animal runs across the road.”
A first offence for distracted driving carries a fine of $237.50.
