“We need to do better” BC Highway Patrol issues more than 3,000 tickets during distracted driving and seatbelt campaign

The BC Highway Patrol says distracted drivers and no seatbelts are still a problem following its March enforcement campaign.

Throughout last month, the BC Highway Patrol focused on distracted driving and seatbelts in their latest enforcement campaign.

“Across the province in March, BC Highway Patrol wrote almost 2,800 tickets for distracted driving,” says Superintendent Mike Coyle.

“We also wrote 873 tickets for people who were not wearing seatbelts, including 87 tickets to parents whose children were not properly secured.”

In the Northern region, 153 tickets were issued for using an electronic device while driving and 61 were issued for seatbelt infractions.

“Many of these distracted driving tickets were written for people using the highway system, not merely those stopped at intersections,” Coyle said.

“These numbers prove two things: One, we need to do better. Two, everyone in BC is paying the consequences of collisions that come from high-risk driving behaviours.”

Tickets for not wearing a seatbelt range from $109 (for a child who is improperly restrained) to $167 for an adult who fails to wear a seatbelt.

A ticket for using an electronic device while driving carries a $368 fine.