By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Nanaimo RCMP ‘disappointed’ by number of distracted driving tickets issued

Apr 10, 2018 | 1:17 PM

NANAIMO — Distracted driving appears to be a tough habit for some Nanaimo motorists to break.

Twenty-seven violation tickets were written up by Nanaimo RCMP for distracted driving related offences during a month-long enforcement and education campaign in March.

RCMP Cst. Gary O’Brien said the number of tickets is “higher than we would have liked,” adding offences happened all over the city, with intersections seeing the most infractions.

“They have the phone between their legs and they’re looking at it, which is dangerous and causing a lot of rear-end collisions,” O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW.

O’Brien said phones aren’t the only thing diverting people’s attention from the road.

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He said a ticket was issued to a driver who could only see by leaning out his side window.

“One individual had a large dog (on his lap), he was struggling to actually maneuver the steering wheel. That in itself is extremely dangerous.”

First-time offenders caught using electronic devices while driving get hit with a $543 fine, which includes four penalty points.

As of March 1, two distracted driving tickets within three years means total financial penalties rise to as much as $2,000 — an increase of $740.

Distracted driving kills nine people on Vancouver Island roads every year, according to ICBC.

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