An enforcement campaign targeting unsafe driving behaviour on B.C.'s highways took place in September (file photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW staff

highway enforcement

Nearly 1,200 tickets written during B.C. highway safety blitz

Oct 16, 2025 | 4:37 PM

NANAIMO — A month-long enforcement campaign targeting drivers on numbered highways across the province led to 1,190 fines issued during the month of September.

Officers from five units throughout the province reported 734 tickets from using an electronic device while driving, while 456 tickets were levied for failing to be properly restrained.

On Vancouver Island, 76 tickets against drivers for electronic device usage were reported, while 79 motorists or passengers weren’t properly buckled up, reported BC Highway Patrol (BCHP).

BCHP cpl. Michael McLaughlin said it appears drivers illegally handling their phones while driving is more common in city centres.

“On the highways of Vancouver there are not as many people using their cell phones, that’s the good news, the bad news is a higher proportion of people are not wearing their seatbelts.”

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Using an electronic device while driving results in a significant fine of $368, along with four demerit points.

“It’s an expensive ticket, yet we still see far too much of it,” Cpl. McLaughlin noted.

In addition, seatbelts are used less frequently in rural areas of the province, Cpl. McLaughlin said.

During the recent enforcement campaign, B.C’s Okanagan and central interior regions by far had the highest non-compliance rates in both categories, representing nearly 40 per cent of total tickets issued.

The fine for failing to wear a seatbelt, or other applicable restraint, is $167 in the province.

Most recent five-year average data showed distracted driving is a contributing factor in 10 deaths annually on Vancouver Island roads, according to ICBC.

– with files from Bill Nation, 97.3 FM The Eagle

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