Vancouver police write over $250,000 in distracted driving tickets in March

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      Vancouver police have announced that they handed out 1,500 tickets for distracting driving since the start of the month.

      That's because, on March 1, a provincewide distracted driving campaign kicked off.

      “This high number is disappointing,” acting inspector Ken Eng of the VPD traffic section stated in a news release today (March 24). “We have seen firsthand the consequences of distracted driving. Leave your phone alone and pay attention to the road. No call or text is worth that kind of risk.”

      But it can't be disappointing from a police revenue perspective.

      At $167 a pop, that's $250,500 in tickets.

      The VPD website notes that it's illegal to "use an electronic device while driving or operating a motor vehicle, which includes talking, texting and emailing".

      "Drivers stopped in traffic or at a traffic light are still considered to be operating a motor vehicle and included in the definition of 'driving,'" the site states.

      Comments

      4 Comments

      J.M.T.

      Mar 24, 2015 at 3:18pm

      This is great news. This is the cost of being "self involved". I can only hope this generation, the 'me first' generation, curbs it's behaviour. But chances are, it won't.

      Blergh

      Mar 24, 2015 at 4:10pm

      For most of history this was called "kidnapping" and "extortion." The best part is listening to the tickets in traffic court, when the police admit to using devices in their vehicles to look up license plates before pulling people over. One law for the Lords, one law for the slaves.

      Flummoxed

      Mar 24, 2015 at 4:24pm

      I'm sure I'm like most people and having a hard time understanding how people can be so addicted to such a stupid activity, when they have all been educated fully of the dangers involved to not only them, but other people. I see people texting and talking on phones while driving all of the time and one thing has become very clear - it's mainly younger people doing it. It's almost always someone who is 30 or younger and I see as many women doing it as men (yay for equality!)

      I thought the younger generations were supposed to be so incredibly aware and socially responsible? They have all of the information, literally at their fingertips, but they just can't seem to overcome their illness.

      Unlike the cynical statement from the 'author' about how much money the VPD will make, I think only a small portion of the fines will be collected and it really won't make up for the cost to those lives that will be killed or injured due to their insane behaviour.

      If you phone or text while driving you are a fucking idiot. There's no way to justify it and you deserve whatever you get.

      d brent

      Mar 24, 2015 at 9:47pm

      @flummuxed. thanks for your common sense and reason.
      @Blergh, the only "slave" you are is a slave to your own idiocy. perhaps you can see that maybe the shock of getting busted and having to pay a small fine will make the normal person think twice before using their device again while driving? i'd rather wait until after my commute to check my email, than cruise through a red light and kill a pedestrian. What would you prefer?