Cst. Craig Schnagblegger pulled over motorists based on hearing from a concealed ununiformed officer nearby on Terminal Ave. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

distracted driving

‘It’s almost an epidemic:’ Nanaimo RCMP in uphill battle against distracted driving

Mar 19, 2021 | 11:06 AM

NANAIMO — Increasing awareness, alarming distracted driving data and heavy fines aren’t enough for many Nanaimo drivers to leave their phone alone.

An hour-long distracted driving blitz focused on southbound Terminal Ave. traffic at Rosehill St. netted 11 distracted drivers specifically for cell phone use on Thursday, March 18. Several other violaters weren’t stopped since two Nanaimo RCMP officers were busy with pulled over drivers.

“We pulled over somebody with a dog on her lap, that is also distracted driving,” RCMP Cst. Craig Schnablegger said on scene. “We don’t want to see a worst case scenario of a family pet dying of something like that. We’re curbing that kind of behaviour as well.”

Motorists waiting helplessly on the side of Rosehill St. had good reason to be visibly upset.

Distracted driving tickets are $368, along with a driver penalty point premium of $252, totalling a $620 loss.

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Motorists flagged with two or more distracted driving infractions in a three year period pay a premium, resulting in total fines as high as $2,000 under B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act.

Schnablegger, a veteran Municipal Traffic Unit member at the Nanaimo detachment, said the biggest misconception motorists tell him is the belief handling their phone at a red light is fair game.

“People at the traffic lights seem to think that as long as they’re at a light it’s okay to put their head down, but that’s actually where a lot of the accidents do happen.”

Schnablegger specified rear-end crashes and hit pedestrians are commonly caused by motorists consumed by their cell phones while waiting for a green light.

Motorists can also use only one earbud while behind the wheel, not two.

ICBC data portrays a grim picture of the distracted driving problem in the province and on Vancouver Island.

The crown corporation’s most recent statistics showed distracted driving is the second leading contributing factor in fatal crashes in the province, behind speeding,

Inattentive motorists played a role in 12 deaths on Vancouver Island roads in 2019, the most in the previous five years according to ICBC.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes